With You
by freudianslip13
Summary: Modern AU; After several rounds of failed In vitro, Elsa becomes pregnant with her and Anna's baby while also dealing with scars of her past (Elsanna but not incest). Fluff, drama, and tender loving (smut). Interweaves the story of how they fell in love through flashbacks.
1. Chapter 1

It had been the roughest year for both of them. When they first decided to start a family they had no idea what an adventure they were embarking on. It had seemed too easy. You fall in love with someone and build a life together. However, this had not been the case. It was always assumed that Anna would be the one to carry their baby. She was warm and motherly but most of all had dreamed of being pregnant every since she could remember. But by the fourth round of In vitro they started to see the light. Anna just wasn't able to get pregnant. Devastated and heartbroken, it took months for Elsa to get Anna to even consider trying again. Ever the optimist, Anna knew the only way they were going to have a baby was for Elsa to become pregnant instead of her.

So here she was some months later with a pregnancy test clutched in her hand. Biting her lower lip as she read the front of the box.

"Come on Elsa this one says you can take it five days before. It's five days before today. Right?"

Anna flipped the box over several times scrambling to find the instructions.

"I'd rather wait. You know how awful it feels when we only get that one ugly red line." Elsa refused to remove herself from the couch and instead focused on the New Year's Eve coverage on TV. She was not about to give herself false hope again only to be disappointed.

"Please Elsa. It could be different this time. And if it's negative we'll just wait another five days. Pleeeeeeese!"

Elsa knew she could never hold out against Anna. And she'd be lying if a small part of her didn't also want to find out.

"Fine" she said in a defeated tone. "But I'm not reading it."

She slowing pried herself away form the couch and made her to the bathroom only to find Anna grinning with the test stick in her hand.

"Just to be clear. I am only here to pee. I don't want to read it and if it's negative I don't want to hear anything about it." She may have come off a bit cold but Anna new Elsa well enough to know she was just scared.

"No problem Elsa. You just take this stick and do your thing. I'll take care of the rest."

When Elsa had finished she handed to stick off to Anna who immediately set the timer on her phone for five minutes. Elsa didn't want to admit how nervous she actually was to Anna and feared how devastated they would be in matter of a few minutes. Elsa plopped herself back on the couch and tried to lose her focus to the glittering ball in Times Square on the screen. Anna followed not long after with a grin plastered across her face. She could hardly contain herself and shifted her eyes between Elsa and the screen. Searching for any signs of excitement on Elsa's face.

"I can't stand it anymore. I'm going to go check."

Anna leaped over the side of the couch in one swift motion and ran back to bathroom, still grinning.

"Anna no! It's only been two minutes. You have to wait five. Please don't do this to yourself."

Elsa stared in the direction of the bathroom waiting for the sounds of disappointment. They had been through this before. Always ending in heartache. Elsa didn't know if she could take it again.

"Elsa! You'd better get in here!"

It took a moment before the blonde could even gather herself to respond.

"Why?"

"Just get in here. You're gonna want to see this!"

Anna was now yelling at full volume. For some reason Elsa couldn't get her body to move. Her gaze still locked on the slightly open door of the bathroom. Suddenly a flash of red hair entered her line of vision and she was able to snap out it. Anna popped her head out into the hallway and smiled at Elsa like a Cheshire cat before dashing back into the bathroom. Making her way down the hall, a thousand thoughts began to swirl in Elsa's head.

"Look there's two lines!"

Elsa grabbed the stick from Anna and stared at it with a twisted look on her face.

"Oh my God. There's two line. Two really thick lines."

"Yes there are." Anna squealed as she wiggled in delight.

"The most beautiful lines I've ever seen in my life!"

Elsa held the stick in one hand and the instructions in another trying to confirm the miracle her eyes had just witnessed.

"We should take the digital one. Just in case this one is wrong. Remember when we got that bad test that one time."

Anna flung herself to a nearby cabinet, frantically searching for a digital pregnancy test they had bought over five months ago. "Okay here. Hopefully you can pee again."

Elsa smiled for the first time in what felt like forever. "I think I can manage."

Several minutes later the two huddled over the test stick awaiting a "YES" or "NO" to pop up on the screen. It felt like hours had gone by.

"How long for this one?"

"It said it could take up to four minutes."

Anna was now covering her face with her hands but with her fingers around her eyes so that she could still see. And with that, a "yes" filled the test screen. Their jaws dropped in synchronization as they both gasped. Elsa grabbed the stick and reread it a few more times. As if she was making sure she hadn't made a mistake. Anna brought her hands to her mouth as she tried to control what felt like a damn of emotion that had just burst within her. All of the hard times they'd been through began to replay in her head. Tears began to well up in her eyes.

"We did it. Elsa, we're having a baby!"

Still overcome with shock Elsa slowly began to let a smile creep across her face. She had been the one that had to be strong for both of them for so long and now she could finally give in to the joy they had been longing for.

"We are. We're having a baby!" They both fell into an embrace that last longer than any they had ever shared before. Anna couldn't hold it in any longer and began to cry into Elsa's shoulder. She held Anna close and softly caressed up and down her back.

"I love you so much Anna. And thank you for being inpatient." Anna smiled up at Elsa and their eyes met. "I love you too." The faint sound of counting could be heard in the background. "Oh my gosh, I forgot it's New Years. Well what a way to start the year!" Elsa let out a soft giggle as she squeezed Anna tighter.

"A new year and a whole new beginning."


	2. Chapter 2

It was only on rare occasions that Anna woke up before Elsa;usually when Elsa was sick or exhausted from work. On this particular morning it was perfectly clear why her sleeping beauty would need more rest. The best part about waking up first was getting to just watch Elsa sleep. She looked so peaceful as the sun shining through the window made her platinum blonde hair glow with a golden aura. Anna couldn't help but examine every feature of Elsa's face. Dreaming of what their little bundle of joy may look like someday. Neither of them knew for sure who the baby would end up looking like since they had used both of their eggs in the procedure. They just couldn't decide whose to use so they left it up to chance. It gave an exciting element to an already thrilling experience that was just in the making. Anna ran her delicate fingers through the soft hair that framed Elsa's face. Just when she thought she couldn't love Elsa anymore than she already did, she found herself drawn to her even more now. A soft smile crept across Anna's face as she lovingly caressed Elsa's face, placing a light kiss on the blonde's perfectly blush cheek. Elsa let out a sigh as she began to open her eyes.

"Good morning beautiful."

"Good morning sunshine." A name that had stuck ever since Elsa said Anna's hair reminded her of the sunset.

"How are you feeling?"

"Much better after getting some rest. I was so tired." Anna leaned in and pressed an ever so soft kiss to Elsa's lips.

"Mmmm. I should sleep in more often if this is the greeting I get."

Anna sat up and stretched her arms as she let out a rather loud yawn. Her hair was a complete mess. Red tresses matted together in what only could be described as a tumbleweed of hair.

"Well you should do it more often. I love watching you sleep. I was thinking we could go out for breakfast and then maybe hit the bookstore and get those books you were talking about."

Anna wasn't really one for reading but she knew Elsa loved to research as much as she could about something in order to be prepared. Elsa had stayed up the night before making a list of books to get. Two lists in fact; one for her and one for Anna.

"Look at you making plans for us on a weekend. I could get used to this."

Normally it was Elsa who liked to plan out their days and Anna just loved to engage in whatever adventure the blonde had in mind. Even though she'd been more tired than usual the past few weeks, Elsa felt like she was more relaxed than ever. Anna had started to assume the caretaker role and was actually becoming quite protective of Elsa. It was nice to be doted on and Elsa couldn't help but welcome the attention Anna poured onto her. Elsa sat up and lifted her shirt slightly surveying her stomach with a keen eye.

"Hmm. Still nothing."

"It's only been three weeks silly. I think you have to wait a little longer for a bump to show."

Elsa ran her hand over her lower abdomen, searching for any hint of curvature.

"It still doesn't quite feel real. I mean I don't feel different physically."

"Just give it time Elsa. You'll be in full bloom before you know it."

* * *

Anna decided to take Elsa to a little cafe on the waterfront that had a great view of the boats on the water. Even though it was the middle of January, she knew Elsa would want to sit outside and take in the atmosphere and this was just the place.

"I'm just going to get what I always get." Folding the menu and placing it on the table.

"Elsa you can't get eggs Benedict. The eggs aren't fully cooked."

Elsa rolled her eyes at her embarrassment at forgetting all of the new food rules she had to obey. "Ugh I forgot. I can't just get whatever I feel like any more. See you in nine months my beloved eggs Benedict. And I guess I won't be getting coffee either. A small price to pay to become mommies."

Elsa had a slight frown on her face as her bottom lip puffed out a little.

"Hey if it makes you feel any better I won't get anything you can't have either." Elsa's frown melted into warm smile and she leaned across the table towards Anna.

"You're so good to me. Come here." Reaching even further to kiss Anna, whose wandering eyes were still glancing at the menu.

"Oh look they have a breakfast sandwich. I'm definitely getting that!"

Elsa just adoringly laughed as she decided to just get what the redhead was having.

* * *

"I'm a little overwhelmed. Who would have thought there'd be so many books on pregnancy and childbirth?"

Elsa seemed to be only half listening as she skimmed the back of the books searching for the authors and titles on her list. "I'll find them, you hold them."

"Awwwww...I wanna get this one!" Anna pulled out a thick green baby book with a yellow ribbon and baby duckling on the cover.

"Look it has spaces for a photo for each month through the first year. And it has a page for first bath, first words, and...oh my gosh, Elsa, we have to get this!"

Elsa picked herself off the ground and glanced through the book. She smiled and they cooed together over all of the milestones they would get to experience. She stopped on the family tree page and the smile quickly fell away. Anna glanced up and saw Elsa's mouth tighten.

"Oh Elsa...it's okay. Don't... don't think about that now. We don't even have to fill that in if you don't want to."

A hand came up to comfortingly rub Elsa's arm. Neither of the girls had any family around that would be a part of their baby's life. Anna was an only child and her parents had died three years ago in a car accident. Elsa was also an only child but she had long cut ties with her family. It was a painful subject that she rarely talked about. In the end they just didn't understand her and she came to the conclusion that it was best not to have them in her life.

"It's okay...I'm okay, I just...don't know what I'm going to say. Our baby won't have any grandparents and I feel like it's partly because of me."

Elsa's eyes began to moisten and a single tear feel down her fair and flushed cheek. Anna took Elsa's face into her hand and pulled her close.

"Hey it's okay. It's just you and me. And well...now three. Not everybody has a picture perfect family. I love you and you love me and that's all that matters. Alright?"

Elsa sniffled and leaned her face into Anna's warm hand. Managing only a simple nod.

"Okay now come on. You have two more books to add to this massive pile. Let's get going."

* * *

Anna was already gone when Elsa woke up that morning. She had a long day of parent teacher conferences that started fairly early. The blonde made her way to the bathroom to take a shower and get ready for work. She didn't have to be in until ten so she could take her time. It was a nice change of pace from the normally rushed mornings. Although it was a bit lonelier now without Anna around.

Elsa began to remove her clothes and place them in the hamper when she noticed something not right. She looked down to see a crimson spot staring back at her. _No, no, no! _ Panic struck Elsa like a lightning bolt and she checked her body to confirm where the blood had come from. _Oh god no!_ Her heart began to pound as she realized what was happening. She hadn't cleared the twelve week mark yet and knew that there was a 20% chance something could go wrong.

The blonde began gasping for air as her breath became shorter and more shallow. Her vision started to blur as she rushed through the house trying to find her phone and the piece of paper Dr. Bjorgman had given her with emergency numbers on it. The paper shook in her trembling hand. _Breathe, breathe...just dial...focus_. Elsa tried to block the nightmare of thoughts that were trying to flood her mind.

"This is Elsa Arendelle for Dr. Bjorgman. I'm eight weeks pregnant and I woke up bleeding this morning. I'm terrified something might be wrong."

The word _miscarriage_ shouted inside her head and she collapsed to the ground as the weight of the situation began to sink in.

"Please hold Ms. Arendelle. I'll put the doctor on right away."

Elsa could barely hold the phone to her ear as her entire body was now shaking. _What am I going to tell Anna? This can't be happening. This can't be happening_.

"This is Dr. Bjorgman."

A slight wave of relief washed over Elsa. "This Elsa Arendelle. I woke up this morning with some bleeding and I'm really worried that something is wrong."

"Okay Elsa just take a deep breath. Are you having any cramping?"

"No. I felt perfectly fine when I woke this morning."

"Okay that's a good sign. Normally when we're concerned about miscarriage there's a lot of cramping. And how much bleeding are you having?"

"Just the spot and I can't tell if it's stopped or not."

"Alright, it sounds like baby's probably not in any danger but we'll have to let this play out. Just to ease your mind you could come in whenever you can and we can run a hormone level test. Usually progesterone will drop if the body is going to miscarry. If you can get someone to bring you in, that might be best. You sound a little too shaken up to be driving."

"Okay I'll come right in."

As soon as she hung up she called Anna. It pained her to have to tell her something might be wrong but she needed Anna now more than ever. Dr. Bjorgman had calmed her nerves somewhat but she was still plenty scared.

_Please pick up. Please pick up Anna_.

"Elsa?" That was all it took to break whatever composure Elsa had left.

"Anna I woke up this morning with some bleeding. I was so scared I called the doctor and he said that because there's no cramping and not much bleeding it's probably nothing major. But I'm scared. I'm so scared! I can't stop it and I don't want to lose the baby."

She began to shake again as tears poured down, practically hyperventilating at this point.

"Elsa you have to calm down. Breathe. Breathe for the sake of the baby. This can't be good for it. I know you're scared but you have to calm your body."

"Okay. I'm trying. He said if I came in right away they could run my hormone levels just to be sure. I need you to come home. Please."

By now Anna had stepped out of her classroom and into the hallway as she glanced back at the parents seated at her desk.

"Yeah no problem. I'm on my way. Just hang on and get yourself ready to go. You can do this."

Elsa took a minute to gather herself. Curling her knees up to her chest and burying her head in her knees.

* * *

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves Elsa. You're not cramping and the doctor didn't seem worried. It could be nothing."

Anna rubbed Elsa's leg with one hand while driving with the other. Both trying not to lose their heads and focus on just getting to the doctor's office.

"I know I just keep thinking about how much I love the baby already and I couldn't bare to lose this."

They finally made their way into Dr. Bjorgman's office and waited only a minute before the nurse called them back and lead them to a small lab room. After the blood draw they were told they would hear back in a few hours from the doctor.

"Now we just wait okay? Come on, let's get you home."

"I completely forgot to even tell anyone I wasn't coming in this morning."

"I'll take care of it. You just focus on you and baby. That's what important."

The emotional roller coaster of a morning had taken its toll on Elsa. She was exhausted and just wanted to crawl into bed with Anna.

"Go get in bed and I'll make some phone calls."

Elsa was so tired she didn't even remember changing her clothes and getting into bed. Next thing she knew Anna was curling up next to her.

"I called everyone and they understood. I just said you weren't feeling well and wouldn't be coming in today. And I rescheduled my conferences for tomorrow."

"Thank you Anna."

That was about all she could muster to say. Elsa laid on her side while Anna spooned behind her. The redhead couldn't help but reach around to rub Elsa's stomach. It really _didn't_ feel any different yet. No bump or even a swell but she knew the most precious thing in their lives was in there. Elsa hummed a sigh as the stress began to dissipate. Anna's touch could heal anyone. Her hands were so soft and loving. A few small kisses on Elsa's neck and a soft "I loved you" whispered into her ear was all it took to lull Elsa to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

"Oh hi doctor Bjorgman. Bleary eyed and a bit disoriented, Anna had no idea how long they had been asleep. "Okay I'll tell Elsa. Thank you."

She hated to wake the sleeping blonde but Anna couldn't keep the news to herself. "Psst. Elsa. Wake up." She pushed against Elsa's shoulder as she slowly came to. "That was Dr. Bjorgman. Everything looks normal. He said about 25% of woman have unexplained bleeding in the first trimester. It could have been as simple as just overdoing it when you went to the gym the other day. But everything is fine."

"Thank goodness." The vice that had been around her heart since that morning began to unclench and she could finally just breathe. "They scheduled you for an ultrasound in three days just to double check that there's no internal bleeding. Which means we get to see the baby on screen and hear the heartbeat! I bet we'll even get pictures. I mean they'll be in black and white and all fuzzy but, I'm excited now."

Elsa loved watching Anna talk herself into a dizzy and get all worked up. Anna plopped herself onto Elsa's lap. "You hear that baby. I'm going to get to see you in three days. Yes I am. Yes I _am_."

She shoved her head against Elsa stomach, tapping her finger against it as she spoke. Anna had already mastered the art of baby talk, as she was addressing the baby in such a manner. Elsa just smiled and watched as she held Anna's head closer to her. They were starting to feel like a family already.

* * *

_Ultrasound day_. The thought replayed over and over in Elsa's head as she vigorously lathered her lavender scented shampoo into her thick mane. On the one hand she could hardly wait to see the little person she had been growing inside of her. Somehow it seemed like actually seeing the baby would help her understand that she really was _with_ child. And at the same time she was still reeling from the events from three days prior. _What if they find something wrong? What if the baby's not growing? What if_... She continued to torment herself. _Relax. Everything is going to be fine. This is supposed to be a great day. Enjoy yourself. Anna's not worried and neither should you._ She glanced down at her stomach and smiled. It was funny how quickly she had become an overprotective and worrisome mother. The baby wasn't even here yet and she was wracked with worry over the smallest things. Every time she read something in one of her books or online she would ruminate about it, worrying if it could happen to her baby. Everything from failure to grow to anatomical deformations consumed Elsa's thoughts. Sometimes finally getting a baby after they'd wanted and tried for one for so long gave her a sick feeling that it was too good to be true. The wafting smell of breakfast coming from the kitchen caught her attention and offered a much need distraction. Mmmm pancakes!

Anna was busy cooking up a storm. She whirled around the kitchen like a cyclone cooking eggs on one pan and Mickey pancakes on another, while also trying to attempt to make some sort of green juice for Elsa in the juicer. Anna was so excited that it was all she could talk about once they sat down at the breakfast nook to eat.

"I wonder how big it is. I was reading that at this point it can look kind of weird on the ultrasound, like a manatee or weird alien thing, but I'm still so excited! Sorry, I know I keep saying that but I really am. Oh my gosh and the heartbeat! Can you imagine something that small has a heartbeat? I mean of course it would but you know what I mean. Sorry, I'm rambling."

Elsa laughed at Anna and continued to sip from a water bottle she was holding. Now that she was required to drink a minimum of ten glasses of water a day, Elsa pretty much had a water in her hand or within reach at all times. She had long finished her share of three Mickey pancakes and was now just being amused by Anna as she sat back in her chair.

"I'm excited too. But I'm enjoying watching you get worked up as well. You're so adorable when you're like this."

"Oh am I now?" A smirk formed on Anna's face.

"Yes. Positively adorable."

Anna glided her way over to Elsa's chair, flaunting her cuteness in the most flirtatious manner the entire way. Taking care of Elsa and becoming more protective of her had made it extremely difficult for Anna to control herself around the blonde.

"And did I happen to mention how beautiful you look this morning?"

"Un-uh."

Not that is wasn't true. Elsa was already the most gorgeous thing Anna had ever seen. But she also read that pregnant woman liked to be reminded how beautiful they looked. Especially since Elsa probably wasn't feeling all that hot lately.

"Well you are." Anna bent down in front of the chair and took Elsa's face in her hands and kissed her cheeks, alternating as she spoke.

"The most gracious (kiss), gorgeous (kiss), smartest (kiss), kindest (kiss), absolutely perfect..."

"Okay Anna." Elsa said playfully.

"Most beautiful mommy ever." Kissing Elsa on the lips this time.

"You alway know just what to say to make me smile. "Come on, we're going to be late."

* * *

The waiting room at the ultrasound clinic had only heightened Anna's excitement. Everywhere they looked there were pregnant woman. Pregnant woman in photos and in art on the wall. Pregnant woman on the magazines. Pregnant woman waiting to be seen. Neither of them had seen so many pregnant woman in one room.

"This feel so real."

"It is real. But I know what you mean. I can't believe we're finally here." Anna was now bouncing her knees up and down in an attempt to contain her elation.

"Yeah." Although Elsa was excited there was still a hint of fear in her voice.

"You okay?"

"I'm okay. I'm just really nervous. I just don't want to hear anything bad."

"It's been three days. I'm sure everything is fine. Just think about seeing and hearing our baby for the first time."

"Arendelle."

Anna shot straight out of her seat yelling "here" as if they'd just call her name during roll call at school.

"Come with me please."

The room was one of the most calming Elsa had ever been in. There were what looked like stars being projected on part of the ceiling and a large plasma screen with mood lighting behind it on one of the walls. In the center of the room was a large ultrasound bed with a blanket and pillow placed neatly on top.

"This place is really nice. Dr. Bjorgman has good taste." Anna was instantly entranced by the stars.

"Yeah this is really pleasant actually. I feel like I'm at a spa."

"You don't need to take of any clothing, just roll up your shirt a little bit and tuck this towel into your waistband so you don't get your pants all gooey from the gel."

Anna was seated in a chair that she had scooted up to be as close to Elsa as possible.

"Look at all that stuff over there. There's so many buttons on that machine. It looks like the control room of a space ship or something."

Elsa looked at the ultrasound machine and felt herself heart start beating rather rapidly. As if every button was there for the sole purpose of finding something wrong. Before she could get lost in her thought, a large burley man came into the room. "

Hello! I'm Oaken and I'll being doing your ultrasound today. You must be the new mommies to be. Hello mommies."

He shook each other their hands with a bear paw like a shake.

"Let's get started shall we. I'm just going to put some of this jelly on your tummy and then we can see what your baby looks like."

Elsa braced herself for the uncomfortable feeling of goo all over her but was pleasantly surprised to find that it was rather warm and oddly soothing. "Okay now lets find your peanut shall we."

Oaken lightly pushed the transducer onto Elsa's abdomen and began to slowing glide it around. Elsa quickly jumped and squirmed while letting out a flurry of giggles.

"Ohhh...somebody is ticklish!"

"Yes! Yes I am. I'm sorry."

"I'll lighten up on the pressure a bit. Okay dear."

Anna was now squeezing Elsa's hand, leaning forward and staring intently at the screen. All they could see was a black circle surrounded by some white.

"Okay dear now this here is your uterus. The white part is the lining and the black is amitotic fluid that the baby is in. And...there it is."

On the screen was what looked like a tiny pudgy outline of a baby.

"Awwww oh my god...that's our baby."

"It's so small." Elsa tilted her head like a small puppy as she tried to process just what she was seeing.

"Oh my gosh I can't believe this. It's beautiful." Elsa started to sit up so she could get a better look until Oaken reminded her to stay lying down. "I can't believe that's inside of me. Wow! This is amazing."

"Elsa it's moving a little."

"Yeah they can move the arms and feet a little but that's about it. Everything looks good so far. It's normal for first time mommies to be nervous. You just care so much so quickly you know. I'm just going to take some measurements."

"Elsa this is crazy. See everything is fine."

"You were right. Everything is perfect. Look at that. Now I know why they call it a miracle. That's in there. I can't get over it. It's the cutest thing I think I've ever seen."

Elsa held her hand over mouth in an attempt to hold back some of her emotions. She couldn't believe something this wonderful was happening to her. Besides Anna, this was the second time in her life that she felt she was getting more than she deserved. Life had not always treated Elsa kindly but maybe things were changing.

"Looks like baby is measuring just over eight weeks, so perfectly normal. Would you like to hear the heartbeat now?"

"YES!" Both at the same time.

"Okay here we go."

Both of them sat perfectly still waiting in suspense. The sound of the heartbeat was so loud Elsa could have sworn a herd of horses had stampeded through the room.

"Wow it's so strong."

"Strong and healthy my dear! About 155 beats per minutes."

"Wow that's so fast." Elsa said in sheer amazement.

"Very healthy. Everything look really good."

Oaken could sense that Elsa needed a lot of reassuring. Elsa let out a huge sigh and let herself soak up the overwhelming bliss she was experiencing. It was almost as if the sound of the heartbeat had blasted away any fears had been holding on to. Oaken then proceeded to print out a few photos to take with them, as well as a DVD with a recording of the session.

"Bring this in anytime you come for an ultrasound and we'll put the photos and video to the DVD. I'll see you in a few weeks."

"This is awesome!"Anna grabbed the DVD from Oaken as Elsa had already snatched the photos from him.

Elsa held the long strip of photos in her hand ass she lovingly scanned over each one. "Anna I'm going to need to go frame shopping after this because this needs to be on my desk."

"Anything you want Elsa."

* * *

**I felt bad about leaving everyone on a sort of cliffhanger last chapter so I put this one up a little sooner than I had planned. Hope you enjoyed!**


	4. Chapter 4

The piercing sound of the alarm rang in their ears as the start of another Monday began. It was becoming increasingly difficult for Elsa to get up in them morning as the days passed. Normally she was an early riser who was up at the crack of dawn, making coffee and getting ready while Anna slept in until the very last possible minute.

"Come on Anna you can 't be late today. Don't you have that field trip to the science center today?"

Elsa jostled Anna's arm in an attempt to keep her from drifting back to slumberland.

"Ugh I forgot." A whole day with thirty first graders running around all day was not something the redhead was looking forward to.

After showering and doing her hair, which in itself took over a half an hour to dry and style, she made her way into their walk-in closet to begin the endless task of finding something to wear. Elsa's side of the closet was filled with sharp tailored pant suits, colorful work dresses, and racks of delectable shoes. Being one of the more prominent women at her architectural firm obligated her to dress the part of a successful woman, whereas Anna could get away with more casual clothing as a teacher. These days it was less about what looked good than what was comfortable. Even though Elsa hadn't gained a single pound, everything was starting to feeling horribly uncomfortable. Anything with wool or cashmere drover her crazy with itching now. Pants and waistlines had become increasingly tight. And dresses were out since it was the middle of winter. Caught somewhere between self-pity and anger, Elsa was now trying on her third pair of pants when Anna saw that she was starting to get frustrated.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing fits me! I mean it fits, it's just that everything feels so uncomfortable." Her tone now had the sound of toddler headed for a tantrum.

"Well maybe we need to go shopping for maternity clothes or something. You need clothes to wear to work and you can't be uncomfortable all the time."

Elsa stopped cursing her pants and flashed Anna a look of confused irritation. "Maternity clothes? I haven't even gained any weight. The baby's only the size of a grape. How could I possibly need maternity clothes so soon?"

"You'd have plenty of time to grow into them and it sounds like you might be at an in between phase that you're going to have to get through." That was exactly what it was. An in between phase. Too big for her old clothes but not big enough for maternity clothes.

"Just figure out something for today and we'll get something new after work."

Elsa reached for her loosest fitting outfit; a heather colored straight leg pants suit from Banana Republic. Her old standby outfit for the week after Thanksgiving and Christmas, or basically any other time she skipped the gym and vegged out. Anna glanced over at Elsa, admiring the way the outfit hugged every curve of Elsa's body.

"Wow, so pants were too uncomfortable but heels are fine?"

"You know me. Me and my heels are not separating any time soon. I love them. Plus it helps when I can look the guys at my firm in the eye instead of being talked down too."

Elsa was trying to make partner at her firm and needed all the help she could get to play with the big boys.

"Yes but do they have to be bright red?"

"It's called a pop of color my dear Anna."

"Hey I'm not complaining. I just never thought about that fact that you're going to be one of those hot moms. I can see you now, pushing the stroller in Jimmy Choos."

"Well thank you." Elsa blushed and smiled shyly. Being told she was beautiful wasn't something new to her but she never allowed herself to become vain about it. The two women scurried out the door and dashed towards their cars.

"Love you, have a great day!" With just enough time for a quick kiss. They always made sure to never be in too much of a hurry to leave that out.

"You too. Text me if you're going to be late."

* * *

Elsa sat at her desk and decided to take a few minutes to gather herself while her computer booted up. Oddly enough Elsa's office was in a building that she helped design. Her speciality was glass structures and she was one of the best in her field. She'd never be so bold to tell anyone just how good she really was but everyone around her knew she had a gift. She could envision things others couldn't and she had an obsessive flare for detail. She gracefully twirled her chair around to face the wall length window overlooking the water and mountains in the far off distance. The sun was rising over the clouds, radiating an orange glow over an ominous grey fog. The view of the water was one of Elsa's favorite things about her office. Even on bad days she could just stare out her window and imagine her worries drifting out to sea. She was brought back to reality by the sound of her Mac turning on. She had a good fifteen minutes before her first meeting began. There would actually be some time to enjoy the tumbler of chamomile Anna has steeped for her before she left the house. She was pitching some concept designs to a client from Dubai who had sought her out specifically for her style. Elsa was startled for a brief second when she her a rhythmic knocking at her door.

"Hey honey how was your weekend?"

"Hey Tiana, it was great. Anna and I just had a lazy weekend around the house and caught up on things."

The thought of lying to people made Elsa uneasy but it was too early to share the news with work yet. Besides she was dreaded telling her old curmudgeon of a boss that she would be taking maternity leave right in the middle of an important project that was going up around the time she was due.

"How about you?"

"Oh we went up to the mountains and went snowboarding. Naveen can't get enough it this year."

There was an awkward moment of silence. Tiana didn't know any better but Elsa was having a hard time thinking about something to say when all she was focusing on was what not to say.

"You know I've been meaning to ask you, and I know I shouldn't but I'm just so excited, how your last round of in vitro went?"

And then all at once the gears in Elsa's head jammed as she scrabbled to think of something to say. _Just say it didn't take. But then she'll be feeling sorry for me for another month. Just tell her. It's just one person. Maybe she won't tell._

"Uh...well...we're still trying. But it's looking more promising now."

"Oh good. How'd Anna taking everything?"

"Better than you'd expect. But you know Anna. She bounces back pretty well."

The tightness of her pants was causing Elsa to squirm in her seat. She ran her thumb along the waistband, hoping to elevated some of the discomfort.

"You okay? You seem a little off today."

"Off, no. Why would you think that?"

"Because you seem to have ants in your pants or something."

"I think I just need to have these pants altered is all. I think Anna might washed them instead of taking them to the cleaners again."

"Huh. I see." Tiana pursed her lips and put her hands on her hips. It was painfully obvious Elsa was hiding something and she wasn't about to leave without finding out.

"What?"

"Nothing. You were just _very_ smiley a second ago when I asked you about the in vitro. Normally you're much gloomier after a failed round. You don't have that Eeyore thing going on today."

_Oh God...I can't keep this in. She already knows. Just tell her. _

"Do you have something to tell me? I can see by the look on your face that _something is _going on Elsa Arendelle."

"Fine. Shut the door."

Tiana gave a gentle push to the door behind her and walked towards Elsa's desk with her hands folded across her chest. Elsa was so hot she felt like she would break into a sweat at any moment. Her hands were already clamming up and she wiped the repeatedly against the sides of her thighs.

"Okay look..." about to utter words she hadn't said to another soul in her life. Elsa pushed away from her desk and bit her lip as she stared at the floor contemplating just how she wanted to word this. A huge smile spread across her face and she looked up at Tiana.

"I'm two months pregnant."

Tiana gasped so loudly that Elsa thought she might actually pass out. "Oh my lord I knew it!"

"Shhhhh...keep it together. You're in a room with a lot of windows and everyone can see you."

Tiana breathed deeply trying to calm herself. She was even fanning her hand near her face as if she was trying to cool down.

"It was too hard to keep it in. I didn't even make it five minutes. But it's okay to tell you early, being that you would be there for me if I had to...un tell you. If you know what I mean. But you cannot tell a single person in this entire building. And that goes for Naveen too. He's a talker Tiana." Elsa was giving Tiana her serious boss-lady look.

"I won't I promise. Oh my God Elsa, you're having a baby. No wonder why your pants don't fit!"

Elsa couldn't help but laugh as she was now a little embarrassed about having to lie about everything earlier.

"Here, I know something that will help. Do you have a hair band? What am I saying, you have more hair than anyone else I know. Of course you do. Get one out."

Elsa reached into her draw and pulled out a hair band from a neatly pilled stack next to some bobby pins and handed it to Tiana.

"Okay now unbutton your pants."

"Wait what?"

"Just trust me."

"Hold on wait. I'm going to need to draw the privacy shades for this." Elsa picked up a sleek and small remote and pushed a button that sent two shades cascading down the sides of her office.

"You're so fancy pants with your fancy office. Okay now unbutton your pants."

Not really sure where this was going Elsa did as was she was told. Tiana took the hair band and secured it with a loop to the eye of Elsa's button and then twisted it before securing it around the button itself.

"There. That ought to give you an extra couple of inches. And just button your blazer and you won't even see it."

"That feel so much better! How on earth did you know to do that?"

"My cousin has two kids and I remember her saying how uncomfortable she was and not being big enough to fit into maternity clothes so she did this. Actually I think they sell waistband expanders for pregnant woman, but his is so much cheaper."

"You just saved me from an entire day of clothing hell. Lunch is on me today alright."

"That's sounds fair. Especially since you were going to keep this baby news from me. Good thing you weren't very good at hiding it because I'm so happy for you now." "Me too."

* * *

"This the place you wanted to go to right?"

Elsa and Anna were standing outside of a posh maternity store inside the mall. Several manikins, all with baby bumps, were wearing fitted dresses and office attire lined the widows of the store.

"Yeah this is the one." Elsa smiled as she looked inside and saw at least ten things she liked already.

"But it's so fancy." Elsa just raised her eyebrows and gave Anna a smirk. "Right, look who I'm talking to. Okay let's do this. Let operation mommy clothes commence."

They were immediately stopped by a short and perky woman upon entering the store.

"Hello ladies. Is there anything I can help you find today? Are we shopping for yourself or a friend...?"

"Oh...oh her. _She's_ pregnant. _We're_ having a baby." _Happy lady?_

"Oh great! Congratulations. You look fabulous."

"Thank you. I'm only ten weeks along so I'm sure you can't even tell. Anyways my clothes are starting to feeling very constricting, especially at work, so I'm looking for something I can wear to work and grow into. I guess. I'm not really sure. This our first baby."

"Well from the looks of you you're probably going to want to take a look at the suiting department for a start. Why don't you ladies have a seat and we'll get started. Follow me."

"A seat?" Anna had never been to a store where they brought the clothes to you instead of finding them on your own."

"Relax. You'll be fine."

Anna always got a little uncomfortable in places that were what she called "hoity toity." It tended to bring out the awkward side of her. The sales lady lead them to a small seating area surrounded by rather large dressing rooms. Just like the ultrasound clinic there were pregnancy and parenting magazines on the large table next to the couch.

"I'm sorry I didn't get your names."

"Elsa."

"Oh hi I'm Anna." Anna waved her and emphatically.

"Alright Elsa. There's a robe inside the dressing that you can put on and while you're getting changed you can tell me what you're looking for."

Elsa slipped inside the dressing room and found a light blue silk robe inside. "So I'm looking for suits. Obviously. But also dresses, jeans, some shirts, oh and a swimsuit."

Anna perked up and confusingly looked at the door to the dressing room. "A swimsuit? For what it's winter?"

"I know but I'm too afraid to go back to the gym and do my normal routine after what happened and I was reading that walking and swimming are the best exercises to do when you're pregnant. There's a gym with a pool in the building across from work so I thought I try it out. Sorry I was going to tell you but I just hadn't had a chance to."

"Oh yeah no...it's fine. You've just never been much of a swimmer is all."

The sales lady had already left to gather some things for Elsa to try on. Giving the two a moment alone.

"Oh my God Anna. This is too funny. I have to show you this."

"What?"

"Hold on, I'll show you."

When the dressing room door flung open, Anna couldn't help admire how nice Elsa looked in the robe but gasped when she saw an enormous baby bump underneath it.

"Wha- what is that. Did you go in time machine in there and go to nine months from now?"

"It's a bump you can velcro on, I guess to see how the clothes will fit as the baby gets bigger. Anna I'm going to get this big. Oh my God. This is huge."

Both were now laughing at each other's reactions like children.

"Elsa that's awesome. I'm taking a picture hold on." Anna got out her phone and proceeded to try and get the best angle.

"Wait...wait...Elsa do one where you looked shocked or something."

"Why?"

"Just do it it'll be funny."

Elsa always got caught up in Anna's shenanigans. She couldn't help it. Anna just made everything so much more fun and it forced Elsa out of her comfort zone. Elsa did her best to give a shocked look and put her hand up to her mouth.

"Yes that's hilarious. You're such a good sport."

"Okay your turn." Elsa undid the bump and handed it to Anna.

"My turn what? With the bump?"

"Yeah I want see what you'd look like. I mean I understand if you don't want to. I just thought it would be fun."

"Yeah here let me see it." Anna lifted up her shirt and secured the belly onto her torso.

"Awww oh my gosh you look so cute. Now I want a photo."

"No don't take a photo cause if I see it it'll just make me sad."

"Oh Anna. I'm sorry. This was a bad idea. I just really wanted to see what you'd look like pregnant because you're always telling me how beautiful I'm going to look and I just wanted to see you like that for a change."

"It's okay Els. I just...I don't know. It's still hard. But I'm happy _now_. Can we just focus on you here? I don't want to feel sad about this. This is supposed to be fun."

"Hi ladies sorry to interrupt but I have some stuff for you to try on."

Anna looked at the enormous pile of clothes the lady was holding.

"We're gonna be here a while aren't we?"

"Yes. But I love you." Batting her eyes as if Elsa was thanking Anna for being patient.

After dozens of pants suits and pencil skirts, Elsa finally made it to the swimsuit part of the evening. The sales lady had brought over three different suits and apologized for not having more since they weren't in season. Elsa went with the dark blue tankini since she figured it would give her a little bit more coverage. It was a bonus that it came in her favorite color.

"This one is meant to go up to the end of the third trimester, so it will stretch as you get bigger. You can try the bump on later to see how it fits now versus later."

Elsa tiptoed out of the dressing room, knowing Anna wouldn't pass up a chance to see her in a swimsuit.

"What do you think?"

Anna looked at Elsa from the bottom up and tried to remind herself that she was in a maternity store and had to behave. Elsa had the most slender legs and arms that would rival any ballerina. Her hair was still in the braid she wore to work but she had it over her left shoulder, simply to drive Anna mad because she knew it was one of her best and Anna's favorite features.

"Anna say something."

"Uh... yeah...that looks amazing. Maybe you could try it on again when we get home."

"_Anna_. We're in the middle of a store mind you. So we're getting it?" The blonde smiled coyly.

"It would be a crime not to Elsa."

Elsa quickly walked towards the fiery redhead and put her hands on the armrests

of Anna's chair and delicately whispered in her best _come hither_ voice.

"And yes I'll try this on again at home."

* * *

**A quick thank you to all the readers and followers. Especially those who have left reviews! I'm so touched that so many of you are enjoying this story. This is just the tip of the iceberg. There's so much more planned for later. **


	5. Chapter 5

"Gumbo night starts at eight and I told Tiana we'd be there early to help set up."

Anna was rummaging through her purse making sure she had everything before they left the house, waiting for Elsa who was finishing her make up upstairs.

"I'm almost done I promise."

She was busy applying her lip liner, delicately tracing the thin curves before filling them in with a dark red colored lipstick and adding a bit of luster with some gloss. She may have been feeling like a hot mess but she certainly wasn't going to let herself look like one. Normally Elsa would spritz herself with some sort of fragrance or perfume before going out, but her sense of smell was boarding on that of a wolf these day. Not only had Elsa forgone any sort of scent but Anna had as well, now that it was almost a form of repellant.

"We're going to be late!" Anna was shouting up the stairs hoping Elsa would start descending any second.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Elsa quickly grabbed a black pea coat, that still felt comfortable, and scurried out the bedroom and down the stairs.

"Okay I'm ready. Let's go."

"You look great! I texted Tiana and told her we were running a bit late. And reminded her not to mention baby."

Since they didn't know the gender, Anna had pretty much taken to calling the baby "baby," as if that were its name.

"You okay, you look a little flush?" Anna's face had a look of slight concern.

"I think so. My stomach has been kind of weird. I'll be okay. I've made us late enough already."

"Okay then lets move. We're taking your car but I'm driving."

"Please go slow this time Anna. We have a baby on board now."

"I know but I like fast! But just for baby I will keep within reason."

"Thank you. It's very considerate."

They rushed out the front door and headed down the long driveway. A thunderbolt of nausea struck Elsa so quickly that she immediately stopped in the middle of the driveway and doubled over.

"Elsa! Oh my God what's wrong?" Anna ran over and began to rub Elsa's back.

"I don't know I just don't feel good all of the sudden."

The feeling was so overwhelming that Elsa had to shut her eyes and focus just to stay upright. A slight feeling of panic induced by the disorientation started to spread throughout her body.

"Here let's sit down on the steps for minute. Can you make it there?"

"I think I need to go back inside. Everything feels like it's spinning."

"Okay let's go back in then. Here just lean against me."

Anna wrapped her arms around Elsa and guided her back inside. She was headed towards the couch when Elsa just decided to lay down right on the entryway rug. Ironically in the fetal position.

"Wow that just came on all the sudden. This is so strange. Do you need me to get you anything? I feel so helpless because I'm not quite sure what's going on."

"That makes two of us. I think I just need to lay her for a second."

"Okay I'll get you some water just incase. Do you think you're going to throw up?" Anna's nose wrinkled at the thought of that actually happening.

"I don't know. I just feel dizzy."

"Okay just breathe. I'll be right back okay."

Elsa had started to breathe but was sounding like she was already in labor. _What perfect timing. Right as I'm heading out the door. _Anna returned with a glass of water and their "What to Expect When Expecting" book to try and figure out what more to do. She set the water near Elsa's head as her hands were currently being used to cradle her stomach, and sat flush up against Elsa's back while she flipped through the book. A few minutes passed and Elsa was beginning to feel some relief. The vertigo was starting to subside and her breathing began to return to a normal rhythm. She still fell awful but the world wasn't spinning out of control now.

"I think it may be morning sickness. Which actually can happen at any time of the day, or so the book says. It can come on gradually or suddenly. I guess you have the suddenly kind. It also says that ginger, mint, citrus, or sour candy may alleviate some of the discomfort. Do any of those sound good?"

"Um..." At the moment nothing sounded good but if it meant and end to her misery Elsa would be willing to try just about anything.

"Citrus or sour candy sound good. The other one (she couldn't even say the word 'ginger' without feeling like she was going to be sick), sounds awful."

Anna's eyes rolled up to her right as she tried to remember what they had in the kitchen. "I think we have some lemons and strawberries. I think I might have some Sour Patch Kids in my work bag."

"Of course you would. I think I'll try the candy."

Anna took the stairs two steps at a time and ran to the closet to fetch the candy from her bag. Anna smiled as she briskly walked back holding the bag of colorful sugary candy. Elsa wasn't big on sweets so it was a nice change of pace to see her practically begging for some.

"Here we go. Eat these and see if they help." Anna grabbed ahold of Elsa's arm and helped to sit against a nearby wall. "Feel free to eat the rest of the bag. I have another one in my car."

Elsa's let out a chuckle as she began to suck on the candy. "You have the worst sweet tooth Anna. But I'm really thankful for it now." Elsa's face began to pucker and her eyes squeezed shut as the sourness of the candy began to zap her tastebuds.

"Too sour? You can just spit it out." Anna held her hand out below Elsa's mouth to catch the candy.

"No, no. This is actually helping." She had only started with one but shoved a small handful of them in the second she finished her first piece.

"Whoa Elsa, pace yourself. You're going to make it feel like a Warhead."

"Oh my God do we have any?" Suddenly she felt like Warheads were the antidote to all her problems.

"No. But I could go get some."

"I don't know how but this is working. I think if I eat these on the way to buy something more sour, I could make it to Tiana's."

"Wait Elsa, we do not have to go anywhere. I can just call and tell Tiana what happened. She already knows about baby, she'll understand."

"No, I got all ready and I want to go out. Who knows how many chances we'll get to go out or see friends for that matter after the baby comes."

"If you're sure."

"Positive. Just help me up." Anna took hold of Elsa's hands and pulled her up. A move she'd be perfecting over time as Elsa was going to need more and more help getting up. "Alright. I have my sour candy, my bag, I'm ready. Let's roll."

* * *

Elsa spent her entire Saturday battling morning sickness. She had hoped the first time was just a one time thing but was sorely mistaken. Once she got to Tiana's she felt great, better than before they left. It didn't even bother her or Anna that they had to spend to whole night making sure Tiana didn't accidentally let the cat out of the bag. Elsa also regained her appetite and had three bowls of Gumbo. Anna had remarked that they had reached a point in their relationship where Elsa was now out eating her. But by the following morning the nausea had returned and she'd eaten the last of the sour candy they bought the night before. Elsa couldn't even set foot out of bed and pulled the covers over her head. Anna stayed by her side, on hold with Dr. Bjorgman, and stroked the side of Elsa's face, combing back her fair strands of hair.

"Poor thing. I'll go and get some more Warheads after I get off the phone. And anything else you want." Elsa couldn't even nod a yes without fearing she'd vomit.

Dr. Bjorgman had given Anna a list of things for Elsa to try. Anna hurried to the store and filled half a cart with remedies. She ran back up the stairs as soon as she got home and burst through the bedroom door. Elsa was in the exact same position she was in when Anna left. Head under the covers with one leg peeking out.

"Okay I have saltines, ginger ale, homeopathic stuff, vitamins, preggie-pops, raspberry leaf tea, candy, apple juice, peppermint..."

Anna continued to rattle off the items until Elsa popped her head out from under the covers and sat up out of curiosity.

"What's a preggie-pop?"

"It's a special sour candy made just for morning sickness."

Elsa quickly held out her hand. "Gimmie!"

"Yeah here let me just get it open." Anna struggled with the plastic seal that covered the top of the tub. Once she peeled that off she again struggled to pry the top off of the container. Finally the top released only to have every single individually wrapped candy fly all over the bed like a pinata that had just been whacked open. Elsa didn't even seemed phased by the explosion of candy and grabbed the one nearest to her and popped it in her mouth.

"What else?"

"Um...lemons, popsicles, and chocolate. Which was more for me but if it sounds good please help yourself."

"Maybe just a square." Elsa could never say no chocolate. "The raspberry tea sounds good too."

"I will go make it then. You just stay here, get some rest, and let me cater to your every need."

Elsa scrunched back down under the covers as Anna gave her a kiss on the forehead. Anna continued to take care of her little patient throughout the day. Whatever Elsa wanted, she got. The blonde never ended up getting out of bed that day. She alternated sleeping with bouts of nausea, never changing out of her pajamas.

* * *

Elsa awoke the next morning to find the other side of the bed empty. The room was completely drenched in sunlight and Elsa surmised it must be midmorning. She rolled over to her nightstand to read the clock; _ten-thrity, that's a first._ Feeling somewhat better than the day before, she put on her teal cotton robe and headed downstairs to find Anna. She roamed from room to room but there was no redhead to be seen. The sound of distant music caught her ear as she passed by the French doors leading out to the backyard. She had to look twice but when she did she spied Anna sitting in a comfy patio chaise lounge, twitching her feet along to the music blasting from through her earphones. Elsa made her way outside and strolled across the deck, sitting on the end of Anna chaise lounge. Elsa suddenly came into Anna's line of sight and her face lit up.

"Hey look who's feeling better." Anna pulled out her earphones and set them next to her phone.

"Thanks to my wonderful nurse."

"I do what I can. It's such a beautiful day out. It was so warm I decided to come sit outside for a while and enjoy it while it lasts." Anna shrugged a little and then bit her bottom lip as she waited for Elsa to respond. A silence fell upon them as they took a moment to just stare into each other's eyes.

"I feel like I've been so consumed with all of the new changes these past few weeks that I haven't gotten to really look at you."

Anna didn't say anything but just blushed as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, allowing Elsa to just drink in the sight of her.

"I want to do something for _you_ today. Whatever you want. You've been so good to me and I feel like I've been neglecting you."

Anna shook her head. "You're not neglecting me. I don't feel neglected. I mean, you're pregnant. We're having a baby and this is part of the journey. But it would be nice to just spent some quality time together."

"Excellent. So where can I whisk you away to today?" Elsa had a sassy smirk on her face, leaning closer to Anna. "Provided we bring an arsenal of stuff in case my morning sickness rears its ugly head again."

"Hmm...let me think." Anna was looking up and tapping her finger to her mouth, deep in thought. Elsa had decided that Anna was just too far away and began to creep up along the chaise lounge and cuddle Anna into her arms.

"This is distracting Elsa. A good distraction but now I'm having a harder time thinking."

Elsa nuzzled her nose in between the collar of Anna's robe and her neck, kissing each and every freckle she could find. "I'd say I'm sorry but I'm not." Taking her long slender fingers and pulling Anna's robe to the side to get better access.

"Oh wait...I know where I want to go!"

"Where?" Elsa's voiced was muffled, her face partially covered by Anna's robe as her lips wandered the redheads increasingly flushed skin.

"The art museum. They have a couple new exhibits that we haven't seen yet."

"That sounds like a great idea. And we can get lunch there too." Elsa now had to plan her days around where and when to eat as she was getting hungrier with each passing day.

"Great! I'm going to go get ready." Anna jumped up and wasn't able to get even one step away when Elsa grabbed her by the waist and pulled back down.

"Wait a minute. I wasn't finished with you."

"Oh yes, continue please. By all means."

Elsa had really been longing for some more intimate time with Anna, but she also wanted to shower her with some affection for a change. Elsa picked up where she left off and began kissing a trail down from Anna's ear to her prominent collarbone. Her hand began to move down Anna's side and tucked itself between the small of her back and the chair as she pulled her closer. "Mmmm...this is nice." Elsa brought herself back up to meet the redhead's teal-blue eyes, her thumb rhythmically stroking against Anna's back as she straddled over her with a bent knee on each side of Anna's hips. "I love you and just want you to know how much you mean to me. How much I appreciate everything." She didn't give the redhead a chance to respond before capturing Anna's soft and warm lips between her own, cradling Anna's heart shaped face in her hands. One gentle kiss lead to a series of longer, more needy ones until Elsa flinched slightly. "You okay?" Without breaking her stride Elsa pressed another kiss to Anna. "Mhmm." The redhead turned slightly so that two were now laying side by side, knowing that Elsa probably wasn't going to feel comfortable laying on her stomach if she were to lay on top of Anna. The two intertwined their legs and Elsa's feet began to play footsie with Anna's. The redhead began to lose herself in the moment and tiled her head slightly to deepen their kiss. Unable to control her body, Elsa flinched again. "Elsa, what's the matter?" The blonde pulled away, looked down and shook her head. She cringed at her own embarrassment at what she was about to say. "Elsa what is it?" "I'm sorry. Uh God...I'm so sorry. I have to throw up." Elsa quickly ran back inside as Anna looked to see a flash of blonde hair bolt in the direction of the downstairs bathroom. _That is by far the worst reaction I've had to someone kissing me. Ever._

* * *

**It was getting pretty hot there for a minute wasn't it? If you guys would like more of the physical stuff (or not) leave a comment and let me know. I planned on taking this further but intimacy and pregnancy can creep some people. The next chapter will have the trip to the art museum but also delves into Elsa's past. The plot is only going to get richer from here on out. Thanks again to everyone for following and leaving comments! It's what's making the updates come much faster than I had planned.**


	6. Chapter 6

**So I book ended this chapter with fluff but there is smut (classy smut if there is such a thing) in the middle. Just scroll down if it's not your thing. Otherwise, enjoy!**

* * *

Anna felt like she could not have picked a better day to head to the art museum. They had a special exhibition featuring Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Cézanne, some of Anna's favorites. Elsa also loved art but it was Anna who really loved the story each piece told. She would stare at a painting for hours and just get lost in it. Elsa on the other hand would tend to have more of an appreciation for the artist's technique or use of color. They were almost done making their way through the exhibit when Elsa found Anna had wondered off to Van Gogh's _Starry Night Over the Rhone. _

"Look at those deep blues. I love when artists make a scene look dark without using black. It looks so much richer." Elsa smiled and she came to stand next to Anna. The painting featured a dark night sky filled with stars overlooking a couple who were standing near a bay filled with boats.

"Yeah but look at that couple. They look scared. The stars look so happy but I can't figure out what it is they're afraid of."

"I don't know. But I love the way the starlight is reflected off the water."

They moved on to the last painting, a still life of onions by Cézanne.

"I don't know about you but this one makes me hungry. I'm so ready for lunch." Anna could hear her stomach growling.

"Anna you know I'm always ready to eat these days."

They headed to a small cafe downstairs and ordered more food than they could eat. " I'm so full I feel like I could take a nap right here."

"It's a funny thing you say that because I have a surprise for you.''

Anna's face resembled a child on Christmas morning. "A surprise?! Oh I love your surprises! What is it?" Anna was clapping her hands in anticipation as she bit her lip with wide eyes waiting for Elsa to blow her mind.

"Do you want a hint or do you want me to just tell you?" Elsa loved to tease but Anna didn't have much patience for guessing games.

"Just tell me. Do I get it today? Right now?" She was about to bounce out her chair.

"Settle down feisty pants. I'll tell you. We're not going home right now. In fact, we're not going home until tomorrow."

Anna was excited and puzzled at the same time. "Wait what? I don't get it."

Elsa realized she was going to have to say it bluntly. "I got us a room at the fancy hotel down the street. On the water, it has a giant bath tub, and we can have room service any time you want." Elsa expected Anna to be excited but she didn't expect Anna to scream.

"Oh my God, really? When? I wanna go now! But wait I don't have any of my stuff."

Elsa's face gleamed with confidence. Did Anna think she really didn't think this whole thing through?

"I packed you a bag. Although I don't think you'll be needing much clothing anyways."

Anna pumped her first. "Yes, sexy hotel vacation!"

Anna loved hotel rooms. Not only did they turn her on for some reason but she loved the tiny shampoo bottles and coffee machine. It was like having their own little apartment.

"Something like that. I just figured I'm only going to get bigger from here on out and I don't know what lies ahead so we might as well have some 'quality time' as you put it before I'm not in the mood or get too big or I don't know."

"Yeah yeah, when can we go?"

"Oh um...it's four so we can actually go now if you want."

"Yes pleeeease, hurry hurry hurry."

* * *

Elsa was right. The hotel was fancy but more modern than stuffy. The lobby was a mix of dark blues and beiges with splashes of geometric patterns on the walls and furniture.

"I wanted something that was nice and comfortable but different. I know that too fancy can make you uncomfortable so I hope you like it."

Anna was twirling around trying to take in the ambiance of the lobby. "I love it. It's so different but really pretty at the same time."

Elsa went to check in while Anna continued to explore.

"Hi, checking in for Arendelle."

A sharp looking young man greeted her and handed her a fresh glass of water with two slices of cucumber in it. "Welcome Ms. Arendelle. I have you booked for the ocean front premiere room is that correct."

"Yes that's correct."

"Alright, here are your keys, a map of the area, and your key to the concierge lounge. Just go up to the 16th floor and it will be on you left. Enjoy your stay."

"Thank you. Anna are you ready?"

Anna was curiously looking at a curvy piece of decor she held in her hands. "Yes! What's the whatever lounge?" She quickly set the bobble back on the side table.

"Oh it's a floor that has a sitting area with snacks, drinks, and hors d'oeuvres. Stuff like that." Elsa swooped her arm around Anna's and lead them towards the elevator.

"We are definitely checking that out later."

With the matching overnight bags Elsa had packed that morning slung over their shoulders, they stepped out of the elevator and winded their way down several hallways before finding their room. Anna let out a huge gasp upon entering.

"Oh my gosh this is so nice. Wait rose petals?" Elsa smiled, hoping Anna didn't think it was too much. "I just wanted to make it special."

"This is the best surprise ever Elsa! You've always had such great taste. This is soooo nice. Thank you."

She had calmed down a little now after realizing she was paying more attention to the gorgeous hotel room than the gorgeous blonde with the bedroom eyes in front of her.

"Do you want to unpack first?" That's not what Elsa really wanted to do but she didn't want to just jump right into things either.

"Can we just lay down as listen to some music or something? I feel like I need to unwind a little after all the excitement. And that bed looks amazingly comfortable."

"Yeah of course." Elsa slipped off her shoes and crawled on top of the bed with Anna.

"Some of these pillows need to go first."

There were four large down pillows underneath what seemed like hundreds of smaller decorative ones. Each of them started to throw the pillows off the bed like it was some sort of race.

"This is crazy. Who has this many pillows on a bed?" Elsa laughed at Anna's adorableness.

"I think it looks nice but there's just too many."

Anna laid down first and held her arms open for Elsa to curl up in. They held each other as if they had just reunited at the airport after a long trip.

"Mmmm this feels good."

"Mhmmm. I feel so safe when you hold me. Really it's like every worry just flies out of my head."

The bed was so comfortable Elsa tried to ward off any thoughts of falling asleep. Anna grabbed a nearby remote for the stereo and looked at the satellight radio guide on her nightstand.

"What do you feel like listening to?"

"Something soothing."

"How about soft hits, channel 43?"

"Fine with me."

The music began to fill the room and they could both feel the tension releasing in each other.

"Thank you for taking me to the art museum. And for this. I really wasn't feeling neglected but I did feel like I wasn't getting enough 'us' time."

Anna was propped on her elbow leaning over and playing with a necklace that hung around Elsa's neck.

"I love this necklace. Tell me the story behind it again." Anna held the simple silver snowflake charm, feeling its smoothness between her fingertips.

"There's not really a story. I bought in Norway and it reminds me of home. I paid for it with my own money from my first job after collage and that made it even more special."

"I like it. I looks like you. You know, reminds me of you. Do you ever think you'll go back to visit? Ever?"

Elsa let out a forceful breath and rolled her eyes. "I don't know. Not in the near future. Can we not talk about that? I want to focus us not the past."

Elsa usually reacted this way when Anna brought up anything from Elsa's past but could never satiate her curiosity to know more.

"Yeah I understand. Sorry. We're supposed to be relaxing."

"Actually I've had enough relaxing. I don't think I could be any more relaxed."

Anna couldn't tell if Elsa was upset or was just actually done relaxing. Whatever that meant. She quickly understood what Elsa meant when she watched the blonde sit up and abruptly take her sweater off in one swift motion. Revealing a black laced bra that seemed like it was painted onto her contrasting translucent skin.

"Wow I would not have guessed that's what was under that sweater. Is that new?"

"Maybe. And it might be part of a set but you'll have to wait and see."

Elsa was a master at transforming the energy of a room to put anyone, who wasn't already, in the mood. Like a kid in a candy store Anna sat up and ran her hands over every square inch of Elsa's delicious lace bra. Feeling where the silky fabric met Elsa's snow white skin. It was so sheer she could feel Elsa hardening underneath it. As Anna began to lay wet kisses on Elsa's chest the blonde released Anna's hair from it's ponytail, letting it fall into a fiery curtain around her face.

"Mmmm I love your hair." Elsa ran her perfectly manicured nails along Anna scalp, sending shivers down her spine. Inspired, Anna undid Elsa braid, shaking it out and wraping her hands around whatever hair she could grab, gathering in it at the center of Elsa's back and slightly pulling on it.

"Someone's playing rough." Anna had a thing for hair pulling because it made the most glorious sounds escape from Elsa.

"Lay down. We have entirely too much clothing on." Anna commanded as she waited for Elsa to lay back on the perfectly white crisp sheets.

Elsa was so fair that Anna couldn't help but notice that she blended in really well on the all white bed.

"I wish you would have told me about you plans earlier. Other wise I wound't have worn my boring plain white bra."

Elsa just smiled and really didn't care what color bra Anna was wearing because it wasn't going to be on much longer. Not if she had anything to do with it. Anna took off her shirt, knowing it probably wasn't going to have the same effect Elsa's disrobing did.

"And take that off too." Elsa pointed to the white bra Anna had been speaking of.

"I told you it was boring."

"It's not boring. It's in my way."

The blonde curled her finger making a 'come here' gesture, and Anna did as she was instructed. She laid herself on Elsa's surprisingly warm body before quickly lifting herself back up.

"I'm not hurting anything am I."

"No you're fine. Please don't think you have to handle me like a fragile egg. That's exactly why I wanted to do this now. Before I can't have you on me anymore."

Something about the way Elsa said that last thing put Anna into overdrive. She straddled Elsa on her hands and knees and unbuttoned Elsa's pants before pulling them off completely. Quickly doing the same to her own.

"Wait wait you're doing all the work."

She had wanted this to be about Anna but she was moving so fast and Elsa wasn't about to stop her as she was eagerly awaiting her touch.

"Elsa stop keeping score of whose doing what. Wow and now I see what you meant by part of a set."

She looked down at the matching black lace panties Elsa had on. Anna resumed her position and grabbed a strand of Elsa's locks on each side of her face and kissed her so deeply that it left her breathless, pulling Elsa's bottom lip back slightly when their lips parted. This time it was Elsa who leaned in towards Anna and picked up the pace by slipping her tongue between Anna's plump cupid bow lips. The music began to fade into the background as breathy moans were all the two could hear. Elsa was running a hand up and down Anna's smooth breast, lightly grabbing and squeezing, causing Anna's moans to become more high pitched. "This is beautiful but it's gotta go." Elsa arched her back and allowed Anna to unclasp her bra. It had served its purpose. Anna dragged her hand down the center of Elsa's perfectly toned body, coming back up to take a voluptuous breast in her hand and kneading it. Elsa pulled away slightly and winced.

"You okay?"

"Yeah just a little sensitive."

_That's okay, there are plenty of other parts to explore. _

Anna pulled down the lace panties and found Elsa staring at her with the most hungry deep blue eyes. Anna was trying to take it slow and enjoy the moment but couldn't hold herself back any more. She brought herself up to Elsa and whispered sweet nothings into her ear. "I love you" was the last thing Elsa could make out before she felt Anna's hand softly running up and down her most intimate of parts. She arched her back and moaned at the sensation of Anna's fingers entering her. The build up to the moment had been so intense that Elsa was already writhing in pleasure and breathing heavily onto Anna's neck. Her eyes fluttered closed and the sound of sweet and airy whines that Anna had been waiting in agony to hear, were now drowning out the music still playing in the background. Sensing that Anna may be trying to be overly gentle with her, she decided to give her a little direction.

"Harder. Please...Anna."

Hearing this as the go ahead to have her way with her, Anna began to increase her rhythm and depth, curling and twisting her fingers deep within the undulating blonde. Nestling her thumb on Elsa's pulsating bud, stroking her into an endless fog of pleasure. It was so strong that Elsa couldn't even form words to tell Anna how her touch was sending her over the edge.

And before she could, she was gone.

Burst into a thousand piece of light as she clung to Anna and embraced the feeling of pure ecstasy.

"That was amazing."

Breathless, she held Anna's free hand up to her chest. She could still feel the galloping beats beneath her hand.

"From here it looked pretty great. You look so beautiful." She bent down and gently kissed Elsa before whispering in her ear. "I missed this."

"Well were not done yet." Elsa said smirkingly.

It was time to really show her appreciation to Anna. She rolled the redhead over and slowly dragged her finger nails down the sides of Anna's body, electrifying her rosy skin. Hoping the sensation would tease Anna just enough. She really wanted to go down on Anna but feared that her stomach wouldn't be able to handle it. So she'd have to make up for with some creativity. Her hands explored every curve and found their way to Anna's hips, where she drew small circles around her hip bone, continuing to tease her with angel soft kisses that were so close to where Anna craved Elsa's touch the most.

"I love when you show your gratitude Elsa."

She made her way to Anna's warm center, gently pushing a finger inside. Anna responded by throwing her head back and arching into Elsa hand. Showing Anna the same kindness she had just shown her, Elsa savored each movement by going nice and slow, coaxing a serenade of needy mews from Anna's lips. When she seemed to adjust to the rhythm Elsa added another finger, causing Anna to moan rather loudly. Elsa continued to pleasure her, gliding and thrusting back forth with the help of Anna's wetness, and bent down to lick and kiss a soft spot just below Anna's hip bone. She pushed back into Elsa's hand and her breathing became shallower and faster. Her world began to blur as she fully submitted herself to Elsa, catching one last glimpse of Elsa's crimson lips on her hot skin. Her body squirmed in an effort to contain herself, she felt like she was going to combust from the pure white heat emitting from below. She clutched the white linen sheets in her hands as she felt that glorious sensation building up inside of her. She cried out Elsa's name repeatedly as she felt herself reach her peak. The look on Anna's face gave Elsa such satisfaction, knowing she'd giving her what she so craved.

When Anna finally came down from her high, she found Elsa next to her, stoking her flushed cheek. Neither one said a word. They just held each other, and relished the moment.

* * *

After their first round of twenty dollar burgers from room-service, they decided to try out the enormous bathtub. Anna put some of the rose peddles from the bed around the edge of the tub and made sure there were plenty of bubbles. She jumped in and joined Elsa who was already making herself comfortable. Her blonde hair was wrapped in a massively messy bun, with a few wild strands around her face.

"I'm having so much fun that I'm kind of sad to go home tomorrow."

Anna had her knees up to her chest and was playing with the ends of her hair.

"I know what you mean. It's back to reality tomorrow."

Elsa's eyes drifted off to the side and Anna could tell she was deep in thought.

"What's on your mind?"

Elsa opened her mouth but nothing came out at first.

"I...uh...do you ever have any worries about being a mom? I mean I look at you and your parents were so loving and you're great with kids. I didn't really have the best examples of parents. Some times I worry that I won't know how to be the parent I want myself to be. If any of that makes sense." Elsa buried her face in her hands.

"Elsa, I don't know much about your parents but I can't imagine anyone not feeling like you were anything other than a blessing. You're very loving. I've never felt more loved by any one in my whole life. And I don't know if anyone knows the secret or has a full proof plan to be the best parent."

Anna's toes scrunched up to Elsa's under the water and were resting on top of her feet.

"I think it's also normal to have worries about becoming a mom. It's a big change and a lot to take on."

Elsa smiled and rested her chin on top of her knees, staring down at the light reflecting in the bubbles.

"Your right. I think I just put too much pressure on myself. We're responsible for whole person's life. Who they'll become and what they'll do. All those childhood memories will be shaped by us. I don't want to be perfect but I just want to be good, I guess."

Anna slid up along Elsa's side and pressed her forehead against Elsa's.

"Hey, you will be. I'll be there and we'll help each other. I think that's why kids have two parents. To keep each other sane. Well most have two or...you know what I mean."

Elsa let out a rather loud sigh.

"We should order a giant breakfast tomorrow and eat it all in bed. And just lounge around till check out time."

"Oh I like that sound of that."

Anna playfully scooped up a handful of bubbles and blew them into Elsa's face. Figuring she needed to cheer her up a bit.

"Hey! Oh I see how it is."

Elsa used both of her hands to scoop up and blow even more bubbles into Anna face and hair. "Ha ha ha."

Anna retaliated by wiping some bubbles under Elsa's nose.

"Nice mustache Elsa!"

"Yeah it matches your hair!"

Plopping a giant mound of bubbles on top of Anna's head. They both laughed and she watched the bubbles melt down the sides of Anna's face.

"And you're worried about being a good mom? You're practically a child yourself."

Elsa playfully rolled her eyes and shrugged.

"Let's get out and order a movie."

Anna sat up and gasped with excitement.

"A dirty movie?"

"No, a movie movie. Besides, I'm still tired from earlier. I just want to cuddle up and watch something good."

Anna was only half joking but was a little disappointed. "Can we at least order hot chocolate?"

"Yes, of course. Cuddles and hot chocolate. We're such a cliché."

* * *

**Thanks again to all of the followers! I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter but if not next update will have more drama and more about Elsa's past.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Over 100 followers! Thanks again to all the followers and for all the lovely comments. I'm so thrilled people are liking this story. Let's get into Elsa's past a little more.**

* * *

During her lunch break Elsa had decided to try out the pool across the street from her office. She was a little nervous about donning her new swimsuit that she didn't quite fill out yet. But any feeling of nerves left her mind as she entered the building and saw she had the whole lap pool to herself. The locker room was lined with cherry wood lockers and had everything one would need to prep themselves to return back to work. There was a long vanity with everything from hair dryers to cotton balls, hair spray, and mouth wash. Elsa hung up her work clothes and put her swimsuit on. The fabric in the front was still fairly loose but there was definitely a small swell to her stomach now. If one didn't know any better they might have thought she just had a rather large meal. She ran her hands over the soft curve that was finally showing. Something about touching her own stomach was extremely comforting. It made it all the more real that she was not only growing a person but providing warmth and protection as well. She was this little person's haven, the only safety they had ever known. There was something suddenly so moving about it that Elsa almost began to tear up. Her moment of bonding was interrupted by an attendant coming in to the collect the used towels. Elsa grabbed her towel, slid on her flip flops and made her way out the pool.

It seemed odd to be swimming on a day that was so cold outside. The large glass windows of the room looked out to a stormy gray sky. Anna was right when she said she thought Elsa wasn't one for swimming. She hadn't done much more than lounge around a pool since childhood and wouldn't have known what to do if she hadn't watched some videos on prenatal swimming exercises. She grabbed a kickboard from the rack of swimming supplies and picked the lane closest to the windows. The water was surprisingly warm and Elsa tied up her hair and put on goggles before pushing away from the wall to warm up with some freestyle strokes. The weightlessness of the water let Elsa relax parts of her body she didn't even know were tense. She felt an increased feeling of relief in her hips and lower back. Even though the baby wasn't even a pound yet and Elsa still hadn't gained any weight due to morning sickness, her body was definitely going through some changes. She could tell that her hips and been moving, they hurt more and more lately, and her breasts were becoming so full that she was going to have to go bra shopping soon. But all of the discomfort couldn't deter from the fact that she was creating the most import thing in her whole life. She was amazed how extremely attached she could be to someone that she'd never met and hadn't really seen, clearly at least. Her joy gave way to a sharp feeling of sadness. Had her parents felt this way when they were expecting her? She couldn't imagine, now that they seemed perfectly fine without her in their lives. She thought becoming a parent would help her gain clarity and insight into the workings of her parents, but it only confused her more. She hadn't spoken to or seen her parents in over six years. She had shut their memory in a locked box and shoved it to the very back of her mind. It wasn't until now that the memories were starting to come back. Memories of her parents, her childhood. And she didn't know how handle it, let alone how to tell Anna.

* * *

Elsa had always had a passion for drawing and creating. She'd lock herself away in her room and doodle on a drawing pad for hours. She also loved to paint, and sing, and basically anything that made her feel alive. It frightened her father to no end because he saw it as the means to his family's undoing. If he were to encourage Elsa's creative endeavors, she might not want to take over his company someday and ruin everything previous generations had worked hard for.

"That nonsense is a distraction to your schooling. It's fine as a hobby but you'd better keep it under control. I don't want it corrupting your mind so that you can't be the kind of woman who can run a global company."

"Yes father."

She was to be his perfect protégé. He'd hired her the best tutors and kept her under a close watch at all times. No matter what she did, it was never enough for him. His level of expectation was something Elsa could never achieve. Anytime she obeyed his wishes she let herself down. And any time she pursued her passions she let him down. It was a constant chase for his affection and approval. Her teen years were spent in a time of confusion and depression. The more she became like him the more she felt like she was dying on the inside. The only thing her father cared about was work. He never really took the time to even get to know his daughter, learn who she really was or what her gifts were. He was always telling her that she wasn't "applying" herself, or what a disappointment she was. Over the years his temper grew shorter and his anger spiraled. He never laid a hand on her, but he didn't have to. His verbal intimidation was enough to instill fear in her.

Elsa finally set a plan in motion to free herself from the shackles of obligation and family duty. She persuaded her father to allow her to attend school in the states, using the platform that knowledge of American economics and culture would only further her prosperity as head of the company. In reality, it got her far enough away from him so that she could study what she really wanted to without him knowing or cutting her off. Her father was a man of great knowledge but not one who looked at his daughter's tuition statements very carefully. If he did he would have seen that she was double majoring in business and architecture. Not only that but she was taking fine arts for electives. Knowing she had this one opportunity to begin a life of her own, Elsa hustled to find a job as soon as graduation was on the horizon. With her talent and portfolio, it didn't take long at all before a small architectural firm made her an offer. It gave her the start she needed, even though it wasn't much at first. Now with the means to support herself, she had to face her father. She had to tell him the truth in order for him to accept her for who she was and finally put an end to his oppression. Even if he didn't want to listen, she needed to tell him. She needed the closure.

Elsa was expected to return to home to Norway after graduation and prepare her grooming process at the company. The thought of just calling her parents and breaking the news to them over the phone crossed her mind many times. But knowing this might sever an already fragile relationship, she made the decision to go home and say goodbye to a life she would never know again.

Her father had sent a car to pick her up at the airport upon arrival. It was improbable that he would pick her up himself but none the less she was grateful to have some time to readjust to being home before she saw him. The car pulled up to the manor style mansion. It had been in Elsa's family for seven generations and had a historic look to it. The home was an iridescent white with dozens of tall rectangular windows that let the light pour into its many rooms. There were several gardens around the property and even a stable for horses. It was actually the house itself that had sparked her interest in architecture. Her heart sank with a bittersweet feeling that she tried to swallow away. Within this home was everything she'd known from her childhood. There were good memories. Like the picnics she used to have with her dolls out on the sprawling lawns of the estates. Or the time her and her mother sled down a nearby hill during a particularly snowy winter. But there were also times she wished to erase from her memory.

Elsa jumped when she heard the sound of the enormous front doors open. Her father, stoic and cold, stood outside the doorway to greet her.

"Hello Elsa." He waited for her to come to him.

There would be no embrace. This was not that kind of household. People were kept at a distance and emotions were nonexistent. Except for anger.

"Hello father."

"I trust you traveled well."

"Yes, thank you."

"Now if you'll come inside, Kai will take your things, we have much to talk about."

"Yes father." Elsa's father lead her to large sitting area with several small antique sofas and chairs.

"I've had Gerda prepare some tea and refreshments. You must be hungry after such a long flight."

"Actually I'm fine thank you."

Elsa was so nauseous at the thought of what she was about to say that she couldn't possibly eat or drink anything for fear it might come back up. Her body was starting to shake as if she were cold, the emotions began to bubble within her. She was so focused on what she wanted to say that she didn't even sit down.

"Father, before we begin there is something I need to talk to you about. It might save you a lot of trouble if you allow me to speak first."

The man was in the middle of pouring himself some tea into a delicate floral china cup and didn't even bother to look up when he responded.

"Oh, and what would be?"

Elsa braced herself as if she were to going to jump out of a plane. She took a deep breath and desperately tried to ease her shaking. A weak voice would only be dismissed by him and she wasn't about to let that happen.

"Father I've made a decision...about my future."

"What do you mean?" He still wasn't taking her seriously at this point as he was still staring at his tea.

"I've tried to be the daughter you want. I know I'm the only one who can take over and you've groomed me for this my entire life. But I can't."

"You can't what?"

He put his tea down and leaned back in chair. It was as if he was challenging to get her courage together, figuring she couldn't. His hands were folded in his lap and he looked at her as if she were a child asking him for permission. Elsa was amazed she was even doing this well so far. Another deep breath as she continued the speech she had practiced countless times.

"I need you to listen to what I'm about to say very carefully, as I mean no disrespect."

Elsa's father didn't say a word but drew a serious expression on his face and let out a forceful breath. She knew that look. She was scared now.

"I'm not going to be taking over the company. I'm not moving back home. And I need this. I need this for myself."

"For _yourself_?" He said sternly but with almost a mocking tone. "What makes you think I wanted this for _myself_." Elsa stood frozen in fear. The words she was about to say next flew out of her head.

"I don't think you know what you are saying. Best you go unpack your things and collect yourself before you say something you might regret."

He rose from his chair and began to walk out of the room. She knew it now. This was the beginning of the end. He wasn't going to hear her out but she needed to say what needed to be said. She had fought for this moment and she owed it to herself.

"No! Please. I- I need to say this. And if you're not going to listen then I still need to hear myself say it. I am not going to ever be who you want me to be. I am not and will _never_ be a part of your company. I've made a life for myself now and I can decide what's best for me. I don't want to lose my family but if you leave me no choice than so be it."

His face was red and he was clearly trying to conceal his anger.

"You have always been difficult Elsa. Never the worker I've needed you to be." He was outright yelling now and Elsa jumped when slammed a fist down on a nearby table. "Life is not about your frivolous dreams. It's about hard work and duty to your family's legacy. You've never had the discipline or the drive needed to lead this family. You're weak."

Each word was like an arrow in her heart. He treated her like a business associate, not like someone's little girl. The pain was causing her to hiccup her sobs and she tried to keep her composure. But she couldn't hold back the tears. She could count each one as they slowly welled up and trailed down her burning cheeks.

"I want something different. That doesn't make me weak. I'm not meant to lead your life. I want my own. With the freedom to do as wish, not as you tell me."

In her own way she was pleading with him to accept her for who she was. If he even knew who that was. His eyes were boring holes into her forehead as he slowly walked up to her. Mere inches from her face. Being this close to him, with her greatest fear staring her straight in the eyes, made her let out a soft cry that she quickly tried to stop.

"You..were _never._..an Arendelle. Just a disappointment...and a failure."

His words burned, seething with anger, and Elsa had to turn her face slightly away from him.

"You are no longer welcome here. You've said what you obviously came all the way back here to say. Now leave."

He turned on his heel and quickly walked out of the room, not looking back.

"Kai, escort her off the property."

And as he turned the corner, he was out of her life. She sank back down into the sofa and let the tears take over. Kai gingerly came to Elsa and put his hand on her shoulder.

"I'll give you minute Miss Elsa."

"Wait, Kai. If I could, I'd like to get some things from my room."

"Certainly m'am. But I can only give you five minutes. You're father would be sure to find out after that."

"Thank you."

Elsa sprang from her seat and dashed down a hallway and ran up the stairs as fast as her feet could carry her. This was her last chance to get anything important to her. When she came to her room she saw her bags that Kai had brought up. She turned the large rolling suitcase sideways and unzipped it. The bag was only filled with another smaller suitcase a few other bags. She had planned to take back whatever belongings she could fit into the bags before she even left the states. She glanced around the room and began throwing various items into the suitcase. She was moving so fast that she wasn't even sure what she was grabbing for after a while. She stopped and gasped out of fright when she heard a knock at the door.

"It's time Miss Elsa."

"Okay. Thank you Kai."

"Let me help you with your bags."

It felt like the agony of victory. She had done what she came to do to, knowing it wasn't going end well, but part of her was devastated with grief. She hadn't even been able to say goodbye to her mother. Her father probably wouldn't have allowed it anyway. The car began to pull out of the circular driveway and head towards the gates of the manor. Elsa turned in her seat to get one last look at the place she had called home for so many years. She saw the windows to her room grow smaller and smaller until they faded into the distance as the car sped away. _Goodbye._


	8. Chapter 8

_I will make it through this day. I will make it through this day._ Elsa kept repeating to herself as she sat helpless at her desk, elbows on the table with her fingertips pressed against her temples as she swirled around one of her many sour candies in her mouth. Only two more hours left at the office and her morning sickness (though she wondered how it ever got that name being it came at all times of the day) had decided to come on full force ten minutes before she was supposed to have a teleconference with her project team and the contractors. She ran through all the scenarios of how this could play out in her head and came down to two conclusions: she was either going to pull through and everything would be fine or she was going to lose her lunch in front of everyone and have to claim she had the flu or food poisoning. She was still deciding between flu and food poisoning when Tiana came in to tell her they were ready for her.

"You don't look so good. You going to be able to make it?" Tiana walked over to Elsa and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I don't have a choice. I have to get this meeting out of the way so I can go home. It'll be worse if I miss it and have to reschedule everything and put the project behind." That thought was making her feel worse.

"You can do this. It shouldn't take more than a half hour at the most, anyway. Just make sure you locate the nearest trash can when you get in there," Tiana joked.

"Thanks. That's so reassuring," Elsa rebutted with an eye roll.

Elsa peeled herself off her desk, checked herself in her wall mirror, and headed to the meeting. She could feel her confidence building as she made her way down the hall towards the conference room. _See, feeling better already. Just needed to walk a little. Perfectly fine. You can do this._ She smiled at the thought of actually pulling this off and could almost taste the freedom of being able to bolt from the building as soon as the meeting was over.

"Good afternoon, everyone. Shall we get started?"

Her face was practically beaming as she greeted the long oval table of associates, until she saw the plethora of food layout across the table. Sandwiches, artichoke dip with slices of bread, macaroni salad, and baby quiches were amongst the platters of food. _Oh God!_ The odor hit her like a brick wall. It was as if she could smell everything at the same time and it all smelled entirely disgusting. She quickly spun around to get the food out of her sight and clutched her stomach, fighting the urge to lose it all right there. _Get it together. Control it. Breathe... Just breathe...turn around and act natural._

"Elsa, are you hungry? There's plenty to go around!" Someone behind her said enthusiastically.

Her lips were quivering and she could barely open her mouth to speak without feeling sicker.

"No. Thanks," shaking her head to drive the point home.

"Let's get to it, shall we? Where are we on the Madison building?"

Elsa didn't even listen to the head contractor over the speaker and was just proud of herself for getting the ball rolling.

"Great, great. So we're on schedule then?"

_Don't look at the food. Just focus on something else._ She checked the clock on the wall. It had only been five minutes. Suddenly, she honed in on something the contractor was saying and chimed in to correct him.

"No, the framing has to be completed by the end of March. That's what we agreed on."

A debate about scheduling ensued and Elsa was so wrapped up in the conversation that she seemed to forget about the food on the table. Twenty minutes passed before she looked at the clock again._ Oh my God I'm going to make it!_

"Well I think we all have our work laid out for us. Elsa, is there anything you want to add?"

Seizing the opportunity to end this meeting once and for all, she replied with a short and quick "No".

"Then we'll see everybody next Friday. Have a great weekend, everyone."

The man no more than finished his sentence before Elsa pushed her chair away and sprinted for the door. Tiana was waiting for her outside.

"Yeah, you made it!"

"Just barely. If you'll excuse me."

Tiana was trying with all her might to keep up with Elsa, who was blazing to the ladies room.

"Are you going to be sick?"

"In so many ways, yes."

Tiana stopped and let Elsa pass her by to give her some privacy. "At least you made it through the meeting!"

Elsa didn't even bother to turn around and continued to make her way to the restroom. _Poor thing. Didn't even get to enjoy the free food._

* * *

"How was your day?" Anna was already home starting on dinner when Elsa dragged herself through the front door.

"I almost got sick during a meeting. Don't ask." Elsa dumped all of her belonging on the floor and didn't even give it a second thought. _I'll clean it later_.

"I'm making meatloaf. You want some?"

Anna was in the kitchen with a cute frilly apron and kneading an egg into a bowl full of ground meat.

"Anna I love you but are you trying to kill me? I'm so not hungry and even if I was, it wouldn't be for... that."

Elsa couldn't even muster enough strength to say what that was, for fear of hurling. Anna's smiled dropped and she instantly felt foolish for not checking with Elsa and asking what she wanted for dinner.

"I'm...I'm sorry, I wasn't even thinking. I should have asked you what you wanted. I can make something else."

Anna started to wash off her hands and she watched Elsa try to pull herself up from the doubled over position she was in while standing in the entryway.

"No, I think I just need to change and lay down for a while."

Anna dried off her hands and started to walk towards Elsa.

"Do you want me to get you something? Candy or a glass of water?"

She went to rest her hand on Elsa's back but Elsa shot straight up and marched away before she could.

"No, Anna I just need to lay down! I don't need anything other than for you to stop asking if I need anything!" Elsa snapped.

Anna watched bewilderedly as Elsa walked right past her and up the stairs to the bedroom.

"Elsa I'm sorry I-" She didn't even get to finish her sentence before she was cut off by the sound of the bedroom door shutting. Here, Anna thought she was doing a good thing by coming home early and cleaning and making dinner. Anna thought she'd for sure be famished after a long day at work. Elsa didn't even notice that she had cleaned. Elsa was becoming harder and harder to read these days. Some days, she was so loving and just wanted to cuddle and shower Anna with attention. Other days, she was like a whirling tornado of hormones and would say things before thinking. This was one of those days. Anna had read in one of her books to remind herself that this, too, shall pass but it was getting harder to see the light at the end of the tunnel. They only had a few more weeks to go before the morning sickness would subside, according to Dr. Bjorgman. But he had also warned Anna that some women suffered from morning sickness long after their twelfth week. Some even had it the entire time they were pregnant. What if that was Elsa? Anna could barely make it through the next two to three weeks, let alone another six months. She kept trying to tell herself that this wasn't the Elsa she loved, it was just the hormones talking. She hadn't done anything wrong, right?

Elsa never came down for dinner. She didn't come down for the rest of the evening, for that matter. Anna tried to busy herself. She read some of the baby books, she watched TV, she even thought about going over to Merida's house but she didn't want to leave Elsa or have to wake her up to ask. Dr. Bjorgman had also warned her that living with a pregnant woman can be challenging but she didn't think that was going to happen to Elsa. She expected it to be tough but not the kind of emotional drain she was experiencing. She'd been there for Elsa every step of the way, gotten her whatever she wanted. But it was starting to get harder. She was lonely and started to feel like she needed someone to take care of her. Elsa's fuse was so short with Anna and flipped out over the littlest things; she was downright mean some of the time.

Elsa was still asleep when Anna crept into bed. She was lying away from the center of the bed and Anna was still too jilted from earlier to curl up to Elsa, for fear she'd wake her up and make her mad. Instead, she just scooted up to Elsa's lower half and whispered quietly enough to not wake her. "Goodnight, baby. I love you."

* * *

The next morning Elsa woke up late again, as was becoming the norm on Saturdays. But this time there was a light blue vase with purple flowers on her nightstand. Elsa saw a small card next to the vase and read it:

"Went out to run some errands. Call if you need anything. Please, let's talk when I can back."

_Oh no. I was so rude last night. She's probably so hurt she's out right now trying to avoid me._

With the morning sickness gone for now, she could feel it being replaced by overwhelming guilt. Elsa was furious with herself for the way she'd spoken to Anna the night before and started planning out her apology. The house was so quiet without her. Anna was always making some kind of noise. Even when she was grading papers she'd hum a song or click her pen around in her mouth. Now it was just deafeningly quiet. It wasn't like Anna never went out without Elsa, just not under these circumstances. Elsa had no choice but to stew in the consequences of her actions. As she made her way downstairs she noticed how spotless the place was. Anna not only picked up all their stuff but it appeared that she had dusted and wiped down every surface. _Wow she even deep cleaned._

An hour passed and Elsa couldn't even bring herself to do anything. It was part of her self-inflicted punishment to wait in misery for Anna to return. Finally, after another half an hour, she heard Anna's car pull into the driveway. She walked through the door looking refreshed and rather good looking in her tight skinny jeans and striped sweater. Anna didn't even know what to say when she saw Elsa. She wanted to say hi, of course, but felt like no matter what she had to say, she might irritate Elsa even more. She just went with a simple smile as she set her purse and keys down on the entryway table.

"Hi."

"Hi."

She figured it was safe to repeat whatever Elsa had said to her. She couldn't fault her for saying something she just said herself.

"Um...The flowers are beautiful." They were standing unusually far away from each other and it made things feel even more awkward.

"I went to the farmer's market early this morning. I know you love purple flowers and I thought of you when I saw them. You were still asleep when I got back, so I just set them on the nightstand and went back out to run some errands."

"Well, thank you. That was so sweet but I don't deserve them." Anna walked towards Elsa and started to say something but she was cut off.

"I know what I said last night and other things I've said the past few weeks were completely out of line. I was rude and you were just trying to help me. You've done nothing but cater to my every need with a smile on your face. Anna, I'm so sorry."

Anna had her hands in her tucked in her front pockets and was chewing her bottom lip.

"Elsa, I understand you can't help a lot of what's going on. I'm pretty sure this is just some hormonal thing but I won't lie, it's not getting any easier. And it hurts when I'm just trying to help and you lose your filter."

"Can we sit down? This feels so awkward and I want to hear everything you have to say in a way that's more 'us'."

"Yeah, of course."

They both made their way to the couch. Anna sat with both feet on the ground and Elsa sat facing Anna, her legs crossed on the cushion. Anna glanced up at her; she could tell by her face that she was genuinely sorry.

"Anna, I don't know what I could say to make you feel better, but I am so sorry and it pains me to think I hurt you."

She reached out and tucked a strand of Anna's strawberry blonde hair behind her ear. A single tear rolled down Anna's freckled cheek and her lip quivered.

"Anna, no... Oh my gosh I can't stand to see you cry." Anna wiped away her tear and crossed her arms.

"It's not just last night. It's been like this for weeks now. I don't know what's going on, but there's something more than just hormones. I feel like there's something on your mind that you're not telling me."

_Wow she really does know me._

Elsa took a deep breath and knew she was going to have to have an honest moment here.

"Anna, you're completely right."

"Wait, I am?"

"For the past few weeks, I have felt more irritable and not like myself. I've been more tired and this morning sickness is such a burden. "

Elsa continued, "But I've also been thinking more about my parents. Just the confusion I've been feeling about becoming a parent and... I don't know how to explain it other than that it's been on my mind. My parents, I mean," Elsa emphasized.

Anna uncrossed her arms and turned towards Elsa. "I honestly wouldn't have guessed that. I thought it had something to do with me. Why didn't you tell me about this?"

"Because it's wasn't something I was ready to share, I guess." Anna's eyebrows pinched together out of frustration.

"See, this is what I'm talking about. How could you not want to share that with me? _Me!_ I'm supposed to be the one person you can talk to about anything, but you won't. You never talk to me about your parents, or much of your childhood for that matter, and I feel like there's a part of you that you're keeping me away from."

This was not where Elsa had wanted the conversation to go but she was here now and had to find a way out.

"Because it's difficult for me to even think about myself. How can I talk about them if I don't even let myself think about them? Please, just give me time. I promise we'll talk about it more. I'll let you in, just not right now. Please."

Anna was shaking her head. She didn't agree with what Elsa was saying but she wasn't about to force her to have a conversation about it right then and there if she didn't want to.

"Please. I love you so much." She inched towards Anna and put her hand on her thigh. "I just need time. It has everything to do with me and not you. I promise to work on this together and to be more open. It's hard for me but I'll try."

Anna huffed a sigh and nodded. "Okay. If it's just time you need, then I can give you that. I've just been so lonely lately. You've been sleeping a lot and I just miss you I guess."

Elsa moved even closer to Anna and wrapped her arms and legs around her, embracing her in a full body hug.

"Well I'm here now." She laid a gentle kiss just behind Anna's ear.

"You still mad me?" Moving down to kiss the side of her neck.

"Not as much as I was. This is definitely helping."

Elsa ran her hand inside Anna's thigh, feeling the tight denim fabric.

"If it makes you feel any better, I felt even worse after seeing you come in looking so hot in these jeans." The conversation had now taken on a more playful tone.

"First you neglect me, now you're trying to get in my pants. I can't keep up with your hormones."

"I can't help it. I'm making us a baby; don't I get any credit for that?"

"I suppose."

Elsa brought her lips to meet Anna's and pressed a kiss. "I really am sorry." She whispered.

Anna didn't say anything and pulled Elsa in for a deeper kiss.

"Speaking of Baby, we haven't bought one single baby thing and it is driving me crazy. I want nothing more than to go to the baby store and go mad."

"We don't even know the sex yet. We don't know what colors to buy yet." They were talking in between kisses.

"I know but... We could buy some neutral stuff. You know how I like green."

"Okay. But not too much because I have a whole decorating scheme going on for the new room."

"Fine I'll just stick to green, yellow, and white for now."

Elsa was still kissing and groping Anna, trying to move things to the next level.

"Elsa this is great but can we please go to the baby store? Now? You owe me anyway."

"Fine. I'll go get ready. But I expect to pick up where we left off later."

* * *

"Which store are we going to?" Elsa was gripping the sides of her seat as Anna zoomed in and out of traffic on the freeway.

"The big one."

Elsa rolled her eyes.

"Wait, no, not the big conglomerate one."

"Yes, Elsa. The big conglomerate one. They have everything and I've been waiting a really long time to go in there and buy something for my own baby. I promise we will go to the boutique stores another day."

Elsa pouted slightly but just let her eyes focus on the passing scenery out the window. Anna was getting more excited the closer they got and she was about ready to jump out of the car as soon as they entered the parking lot.

"Look, they have special parking for expectant mothers! We are so parking there."

"No, Anna! That's for people who are way farther along and can't walk that far. Please don't park there. You can't even tell I'm pregnant yet. People are going to think we're just trying to park close to the entrance."

"Nope. I'm parking there. You're expecting, so get over it."

It was a worthless battle and so Elsa conceded. By the time she unbuckled her seatbelt Anna was already on the passenger side of the car waiting for her.

"Come on, come on!"

They walked through the automatic doors to find a giant store that must have carried everything ever made for babies. Anna's eyes were as wide as the grin on her face and she wandered into the store like she was caught in a tractor beam.

"Anna, wait. Do you even know what you want to look at? You could get really carried away quickly in a store like this. I think we should have some sort of plan so we don't go crazy."

Anna wasn't even listening as she was already lost in the racks upon racks of tiny baby clothes. "Oh my God! Look how tiny this is! This looks like it's for a doll!" She held up a white onesie with a sleeping baby bear on it.

"Awww, that's really cute." Elsa couldn't help but get caught in the moment.

"Look at the little footies on this one!" Elsa was drawn to a purple zip-up nightly with little gripper dots on the bottom of the footing. Whatever plan Elsa had tried to come up with had gone out the window.

She and Anna continued to show each other outfits, commenting on how cute and small they were.

"Oh my God Anna, look at this one!" Elsa spied a rack of tiny little tutu outfits in a variety of colors. "If we have a girl, think of all the cute stuff she'd get to wear. Think of the cute shoes! Headbands, bows, tights!" Elsa was getting all worked up over the endless clothing possibilities.

"Or... If we have a boy, he could wear this cute little sweater vest... Or these engineer-looking overalls. Boys have fun clothes too, Elsa. You have to be prepared for either."

"I am. I just can't help but get excited that's all."

Elsa toned her enjoyment levels down a little as she didn't want to get ahead of herself and fall in love with something they wouldn't even be able to buy, not knowing the gender and all.

"Let's focus on something that's gender neutral and maybe not clothing because I'm finding that I'm very particular about baby clothes." Elsa again tried to redirect Anna's excitement.

"Let's look at swings. All the teachers at my work tell me that you have to have a swing. And you can get it in a gender neutral color because you can use it for more than one baby."

Elsa's eyes widened.

"More than one? You mean I'm going to have to go through this twice?"

"From the woman who told me she wanted three children." Anna rolled her eyes for a change. Elsa playfully shoved Anna's shoulder.

"Maybe two. I don't know if we'd survive three rounds of morning sickness. What aisle are the swings on?"

They wandered toward a giant sign hanging from the ceiling that read: "gear/activity".

"Activity. That would include swings, right?"

Elsa really had no clue.

"I think so."

They felt like two woman in a foreign land. They knew the basics about baby care, but didn't realize how much they didn't know until they entered the store and didn't know what half the stuff was for.

"Here there they are!" Anna let go of Elsa's arm and skipped down the aisle.

"They're all so cute! How does one even begin to decide?"

"Well, try some out. See what you like. It looks like they all play songs and swing different ways. Just test a few out."

Anna went with her gut and chose a swing with the bassinet suspended from an overhanging arm. The bassinet part had soft white fabric that was made to look like a lamb, complete with two ears at the top of the headrest. Anna began to press the buttons on the controls and went through all the settings. There were classical music, sounds of nature, vibration, and kids' songs.

"Aww, it plays _Twinkle Twinkle_!" Anna proceeded to sing along with the music and was perplexed as to why Elsa looked so confused.

"What's matter? Don't you know _Twinkle Twinkle_?"

"No, Anna I don't. I didn't grow up in this country remember? Nursery songs just weren't something my tutors taught me."

It had never really dawned on Elsa that not only did she not know any kids' songs in Norwegian, but she also didn't know any American kids' songs, either. As Anna went through the various songs, singing to each of them, she realized that Anna knew them all and she didn't know a single one.

"Anna. I don't know any of these songs." Her voice was a little panicked.

"Whoa, Elsa, it's okay. I'll teach them to you. You have plenty of time to learn these."

Anna seriously forgot sometimes that Elsa wasn't American. She never had even a hint of an accent and knew all about American culture. She never really talked much about Norwegian culture or traditions.

"I think I saw some CDs in one of the aisles that have lullabies on it. We can get that too, okay?"

"Okay. I'm just a little embarrassed that I didn't think about this before. I don't even know any lullabies to sing to my own baby. What kind of a mother am I?"

Anna wrapped an arm around Elsa's waist and pulled her in for a tight hug.

"A good one."

Elsa just smiled.

"Okay, I want to get this one."

Anna stood back and clapped her hands, proud of herself for making her first important parental decision. Elsa pulled out her phone and began thumbing through it.

"What are you doing?"

"I want to look at the reviews before we buy it."

"Elsa I can always count on you to be an informed consumer."

"Okay, it has 4 1/2 out 5 stars. That's good enough for me."

"Great, I'll go get a cart!"

* * *

Putting it together ended up taking twice as long as they thought but once it was finished they couldn't pry their eyes away from it.

"Put it by the couch so I can just stare at it."

Anna struggled to pick up the swing and move it to where Elsa was pointing to.

"Ugh... There. How's that?"

"Perfect. Now come sit with me and bask in it's glow."

"Wait, let me turn it on. Which song do you like?"

Elsa had to think as she couldn't really remember the names of the few songs Anna had told her about while they listened to the children's CD on the ride home.

"The bridge one."

"_London Bridge_."

"Yes, that one."

Anna turned the swing and the song on and plopped herself on the couch next to Elsa. They wrapped themselves in each other's arms and watched the mesmerizing swaying of the swing.

"This makes it feel so much more real. An actual little person is going to be in there in about six months."

"I can't wait. That feels like an eternity from now."Elsa leaned her head against Anna's shoulder as they continued to watch the swing back and forth, day dreaming about their baby.

* * *

**These chapters are just getting longer and longer. Hope you're loving it! Special thanks to the new beta Rootastic! A lot of people have been asking if there will be more flashbacks and the answer is yes. Next chapter will have a little about how Anna and Elsa met and hopefully answer more questions. ****As always, thanks for the reviews and for following!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Time to find out how Elsa met Anna!**

* * *

Even though Elsa was now free to live her life on her own terms, she hit a rough patch when she returned from Norway. She had difficulty motivating herself to go out and enjoy life. She found herself staying home and shutting herself off from the world after a day of work. After several months, she decided enough was enough. She lost her family in order to have this life and what was she doing with it? It was time to get back out there and live a little. She was more of an extrovert than an introvert and was desperate to have some human interaction. She scrolled through her contact list searching for someone who could help get her out of her shell._ Jasmine, yes! _Jasmine was a good friend of Elsa's who had been there for her for as long as Elsa could remember. She was also one of the first people Elsa trusted during her whole coming out process. Jasmine always had her finger on the pulse of the city. She always knew what restaurants were trendy, what clubs to go to, and pretty much had plans every Friday and Saturday night. Elsa decided to text her.

_'Plans for Friday night? I've been working way too hard and need to get out for a night of fun.'_

Elsa felt her phone buzz. '_You're talking to the right person. Me and a few girls are going to sushi and karaoke. You want to come? You'd better say yes because you have the best voice of anyone I know.'_

'_Where and what time?'_ The blonde texted back.

Jasmine sent Elsa all the details. They were all going for sushi at a new hotspot downtown and then they were going to head to Jasmine's favorite Karaoke bar. Great. Now I just have to figure out what to wear.

* * *

Sushi had gone well and Elsa was feeling like her old self again. She liked being around Jasmine because she had a similar sassy streak and was a woman who spoke her mind. Elsa admired that. Jasmine had brought along three other friends, and being the only blonde, Elsa stuck out from the group.

"Okay ladies, let's get a table and start looking at the song list. I'm going first!" Jasmine declared.

"I think I may need a few drinks first." Elsa had an amazing voice, but was a little nervous about singing in front of a crowd.

The first round of drinks came to the table as the girls flipped though the lists of song choices. Elsa had a strange feeling that someone was watching her. She looked around the room trying to confirm her hunch but didn't spot anyone. She thought it was probably nothing. Until she saw a pair of bright blue eyes dart away. Hmmm. Elsa didn't think any more of it and went back to picking out a song. The picture of the woman was still playing in her mind. _Her hair was a really pretty color. Wonder if it's natural. I think it was red, or auburn. Or… Strawberry blonde?_ Unable to remember, she tried to steal a quick glance at the woman, only to find she was looking at Elsa again. This time Elsa didn't break the eye contact. The redhead flashed a smile and gave a small wave.

"Elsa, I know it's been a while since you've been out but I think that girl is checking you out. You should go say hi. She's cute." Jasmine was nudging Elsa to get off her chair and go over and talk to the redhead.

"Maybe later. I'm with you guys and I don't want to be rude. Besides, it looks like she's with some of her own friends, anyway."

Several drinks later, Jasmine was finishing her rendition of "Hot N' Cold" by Katy Perry when the redhead came up to take the mic from her. Elsa found herself sitting up in her chair, intrigued. _"Just Dance" by Lady Gaga, not a bad choice. God, her smile!_ The redhead's voice was one of the most beautiful Elsa had ever heard. She was definitely a soprano and could effortlessly hit the high notes. Anna bopped around to the song and made the sassiest faces. She also did cute little hand gestures as she sang which were slowly driving Elsa crazy. _Adorable AND sexy. I'm in trouble._ Her voice was captivating, but Elsa kept getting distracted by the low cut shirt that revealed her freckled chest.

"I think someone has a crush," Jasmine teased, smirking into Elsa's ear.

"She's just really good. Don't get ahead of yourself." Elsa defended herself.

After the redhead finished her song, Elsa stood up to head to the ladies room.

"I'll be right back."

"You'd better be because you're almost up. You're not going home until you sing, Elsa!" Jasmine shouted as Elsa dashed from her seat.

She spun around and began to walk towards the bathroom when she collided with someone.

"Ouch." She was about to tell the person to watch where they were going but she suddenly realized it was the redhead.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. Are you okay? You look a little mad, which is understandable. I mean I just slammed right into you and you have every right to be mad but..." The girl with the red hair blabbered.

She continued to ramble and Elsa saw no choice but to interrupt in order to get a word in.

"It's okay. You don't have to apologize. I wasn't really watching where I was going anyway. You were great up there, by the way. Your voice is really beautiful."

"Me? Oh wow. Thank you. If I could be honest with you, I was really nervous once I saw you. I haven't been able to take my eyes off of you since you came in."

_So, Jasmine was right. She was checking me out._

Elsa's face flushed and she could feel her cheeks turning seven shades of red.

"Umm...I'm Elsa by the way."

"Anna."

"Anna. Pretty hair and a pretty name." Now it was Anna's turn to blush.

"I know you're busy with your friends, but if you'd like to come over and have a drink I'd really love that."

"Actually, I'm supposed to sing next. But maybe after?"

"Okay, well I look forward to hearing you sing then!"

Elsa sprinted into the bathroom and immediately checked her face in the mirror.

Elsa found herself blushing like a school girl. _I knew it._

She quickly freshened up her make-up and ran her fingers through her hair. She was grateful that she had decided to wear it down instead of in her normal braid. Jasmine grabbed Elsa by the arm when she got back to the table.

"I changed my mind. You're singing this." Jasmine pointed to one of the songs on the list.

"'Because the Night' by 10,000 Maniacs... Why? That song is so old."

"Because this song is sexy! You need to let yourself go and show that redhead who you really are. You've been holed up for months and you haven't even had a date in a year. You owe it to yourself to let loose a little."

She didn't even give Elsa time to argue and pushed her towards the stage. _Thank God at least I know some of the words._ Elsa looked out and saw Anna eagerly waiting. Once again, Jasmine was right. She did owe this to herself. She was her own woman now and she wanted to make Anna's head spin. _Take a deep breath. Just have fun._ She heard the song start to play and her heart began to pound. There were a few cat calls coming from her friends as she took the mic off the stand, but all she could look at was Anna and her piercing aqua eyes. Elsa tried to calm her nerves by focusing on the lyrics on the screen. Jasmine was off to the side, grinning and nodding her head in encouragement.

_"Take me now, baby, here as I am_

_Hold me close, n' try n' understand_

_Desire is hunger is the fire I breathe_

_Love is a banquet on which we feed"_

The lyrics were so sultry and sexy that Elsa could hardly believe she was singing them. They were the exact words Elsa wanted to express to Anna but knew she would never have had the courage to. As the beat kicked in with the chorus, Elsa felt herself start to relax. Everyone else in the room faded away and she could only see Anna, sitting at the table, eyes wide.

Meanwhile, across the room, Anna was drinking in the sight of Elsa's long beautiful hair as it caught light at just the right angles which gave Elsa a heavenly glow. Anna started to slightly sway to the music and roll her shoulders back; she could hardly believe what she was witnessing.

_"Because the night belongs to lovers_

_Because the night belongs to us"_

It was like Elsa was singing just for her. She'd never seen anything so sexy in her whole life. Elsa continued to lose herself to the music. She flipped her hair and flashed Anna every sexy look she knew. _This has gone far beyond flirting. I might pass out_. Anna thought to herself. The way Elsa's lips wrapped around each word made Anna feel like she was going into coronary arrest. Her voice was so versatile. It was sassy one minute and sultry the next.

_"They can't hurt you now_

_Can't hurt you now_

_Can't hurt you now"_

Her heart ached a bit, as the lyrics could not have been truer for her. Nothing could hurt her or Elsa now. She had nothing more to lose and everything to gain.

"Look at the redhead. Her head's going to explode!" Jasmine said with pride.

_"So take me now_

_Take me now_

_Take me now"_

Elsa kept repeating the lyrics and Anna was ready to run onstage and take Elsa right then and there like she was suggesting. There was a huge applause when Elsa finished. The voice of the vixen that had just been singing suddenly sounded much more reserved as Elsa politely said, "thank you" and handed the mic back to the host.

"Good luck to the person that has to follow that!" he chuckled.

"How did I do?" The blonde coyly asked Jasmine.

"I think you made every woman in this room question their sexuality. Go talk to her, I think she may need some medical attention." Jasmine pointed to Anna.

"You'd be okay if I went and talked to her for a while?"

"I would be mad if you didn't."

Elsa walked over to the table where Anna was sitting and pulled up a chair.

"Wow, that was amazing. I think you literally burnt the place down, it was so hot. You have an amazing voice."

"Thank you. I haven't sung in front of people for a while. But I was having so much fun I guess I got caught up in the moment."

"Whattya drinking? I'll order you another."

"Actually, I'm good. I've already had enough liquid courage for this evening."

Anna was desperately trying to think of something to say. She still hadn't recovered from Elsa's display of affection.

"So, Elsa, what do you do for a living?"

"I'm an architect. I specialize in glass structures."

"Wow I didn't know someone could specialize in that. Beautiful and smart."

Elsa smiled and let out a nervous laugh.

"If you say so." Elsa said modestly. "What is it that you do?"

"I'm finishing up my last year of college, but I'm planning on being a teacher."

"Oh, that's so funny you say because I just finished college last year. Any grade in particular you want to teach?"

"Elementary school, but really wherever I can get a job next year." Anna said while nervously tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, desperately trying to make a good first impression.

"Somehow I can see you being teacher. You seem very... Energetic. And kind."

Anna giggled. "I get that lot. Are you from around here?"

"I live not far from here now but I'm originally from Norway." For some reason that came out sounding like a question.

"Wait, what? You don't even have an accent! But now that you mention it, that would explain the platinum blonde hair."

"I learned English when I was really young and my English tutor was from California, so…."

"Tutor? You sound like an uptown girl."

"What do you mean?" Elsa wasn't familiar with the term.

"Well people who have tutors are usually umm... Not poor, so to speak."

"My parents may not be poor but I don't depend on them. So, I guess you could say I'm formerly wealthy."

The two continued to chat for over an hour. Elsa learned that Anna grew up not far from the city and was an only child such as herself. They both liked chocolate. The more they talked, the more they learned how much they had in common. Elsa was so engrossed in the conversation that she didn't notice how much time had passed until the conversation was cut short by Jasmine telling her they were heading out.

"She's my ride so I have to go. But let me give you my number and we can go out sometime."

"I'd love that. Would it be weird if I called you tomorrow?"

"No, that would be nice," Elsa said with a wink.

* * *

Anna called Elsa the very next day like she'd said. They arranged to go for brunch at a place near Elsa's apartment. It wasn't until she gave Anna directions that they realized how closed they lived to each other. Just a ten minute drive away, in fact. Elsa was busy trying to figure out what to wear, as usual. _A brunch date. This is new_. Wanting to dress nice but not overdone for lunch, Elsa decided to go with a light blue scoop neck dress that hit just above the knee. It was still September and she wanted to wear her summer dresses one last time before fall set in. Besides, blue always looked great on her. She was finishing up her braid when she heard Anna at the door. "Coming!" Elsa looked through the peephole to see Anna's eyes darting around nervously. Elsa opened the door.

"Hi... Wow you look great. Ready?"

"Yeah just let me grab my keys."

Anna had regretted wearing a long maxi skirt after seeing Elsa's dress. It showed off her legs in a way that almost made Anna's feel like they were going to give out.

"Ready, let's go."

Anna drove them to the restaurant in record time. Elsa had suggested a little place she knew that had lot of greenery and really great brunch.

"I love that you can get breakfast so late on the weekends. I have to say, brunch is my favorite meal. Or time of day to eat a meal. You know what I mean." Anna rambled on.

Elsa giggled. _She's so adorable when she doesn't know what to say. _Anna seemed to have the most interesting things to say and in the most adorable way. The waitress seated them at a patio table that was surrounded by tall banana leaf trees and bamboo. The table was nice and secluded away from the roaring brunch crowd inside. And it didn't hurt that it was quite romantic for a lunch date.

"This is really cool. I've never been here before, but it looks like a jungle. I can't believe I never knew this restaurant was here." Anna looked around the restaurant before settling her eyes back on Elsa.

"Yeah it's one of my favorite places because the trees make it feel like a little oasis."

"I heard they have really good waffles here." Anna commented, then noticed Elsa hadn't opened up her menu. "Aren't you going to look at the menu?" Anna looked at Elsa puzzled.

"Oh no, I already know what I want."

"And that would be..."

"Eggs Benedict. It's my favorite breakfast."

"I like that. A lady who knows what she wants."

Elsa couldn't help but smile at the thought that Anna had hit the nail on the head.

"That would be me."

Anna tried to focus on the menu and figure out what to eat but her eyes kept wandering to look at Elsa. Her hair was even more magnificent in the sunlight. Her eyes were bluer than the sky and her eyebrows had some sort of goddess-like quality to them. The way her eyelashes fluttered made Anna's heart skip a beat. Elsa caught Anna staring but didn't seem to mind.

"Find anything good?" She asked.

"Huh...oh yeah. I think I'm going to get waffles."

"Nice choice. So what made you want to go into teaching?"

Elsa had her arms folded on top the table and was leaning in to give Anna her full attention.

"Well, I really like kids and my mom is a teacher, so..." Anna's brain gave out when Elsa smiled and lost track of what she was saying.

"And this is your last year of school?"

"Yes, I'm really looking forward to finishing. All those tests and studying. Not to mention the food on campus really isn't that good. I mean, the coffee is great but you can only have so much coffee and... I'm sorry. I'm rambling."

Anna sat back in her chair and nervously clutched one of her braids in her hands and began to play with the end of it.

"No, don't stop. I enjoy hearing what you have to say." Elsa's eyes were full of sincerity. "It's nice to have all the studying out of the way. Just going to work is so much easier."

"Yeah I'll bet. So, um... What made you move all the way here from Norway?"

_She's still stuck on this Norway thing._

"School. I just wanted a change of pace and the school I went to here was known for its architectural program."

"Oh. It's really cold there right?"

"In Norway?" Elsa clarified. "Yes, most of the time, but the summers are fairly warm."

"Oh my gosh I bet it's so beautiful. Mountains, northern lights, and fjords."

"Yes, it is beautiful."

Anna was sensing that this wasn't a topic Elsa wanted to elaborate on. She was about to change the subject but Elsa beat her to it.

"You're hair is really beautiful. Do your parents have red hair?"

"Oh, my dad does. I didn't like it growing up but I've grown to love it." Anna was still playing with the braid between her fingers.

"It reminds me of the sunset."

"Oh, thank you."

The waitress came over to take their order and Elsa couldn't help but chuckle to herself when Anna ordered extra syrup with her waffles. She could tell Anna was the kind of person who was very much in touch with her inner child. It was a breath of fresh air for someone like Elsa who hadn't been allowed to have much of a childhood. The blonde came out of her thoughts just as the waitress returned with their two cups of coffee. Anna immediately reached for three sugar packets and sprinkled them into her steaming coffee, finishing it off with as much cream as the cup would hold.

"You seem to like sugar." Elsa noted.

"Yes, I do! I think there's probably more sugar than coffee in there."

Anna watched Elsa daintily open a single pack of sugar and gingerly stir it into her coffee, clinking her teaspoon twice on the rim when she was done.

_Black, wow. I wouldn't have guessed that._ Anna thought. She was entranced by the grace and confidence in which Elsa did something a simple as prepare her coffee. It was if she every move she made was methodically thought out and executed with precision. Very proper and elegant.

"You must really like the taste of coffee because I don't even see a hint of cream in there." Anna motioned to the cup with her eyes.

"Oh, ha! Unlike here where it's all about customizing your coffee, black is common in Norway, so I'm used to it," Elsa explained, then gave a shrug. "Old habits die hard."

Their conversation had come to the all too familiar awkward point of a first date where neither one could really think of anything to say and were patiently waiting for the food to come and provide a much needed distraction. Elsa was only slightly thrown by the silence. She just used the opportunity to take in the scenery and enjoy her coffee.

Anna, on the other hand, had an entire dialog going inside her head. _This is so painful. Say something. Anything! I should ask more about architecture. No, no, she probably doesn't want to talk about work._ Anna fidgeted her hands and kept crossing and uncrossing her feet as she desperately tried to fill the silence. _Oh I know, I'll ask about how she chose that song last night_. Just as Anna had begun to open her mouth to speak, the waitress interjected with their meal. Elsa was gently putting her napkin on her lap while Anna stared gobsmacked at the size of her waffle.

"This waffle is bigger than my face! Look at it, it's huge! We could have shared this." Anna said as she unwrapped her silverware from her napkin, knife poised, ready to tackle the behemoth of a breakfast.

"I know, the portions are so big here. I can never even finish half of anything I order."

Anna began to smear a rather large pad of butter over the enormous waffle. She used the entire dish of butter and dowsed the waffle in a flood of syrup, licking her lips the entire time. As she stuffed a bite of into her mouth, Anna began notice how neat and tidy Elsa was with her food. For something as messy as eggs Benedict, her plate was in perfect order. She would use her fork and knife to cut a perfect square-shaped bite and then set the knife off to the side before consuming her petite bite of food. Anna wasn't even using her knife and was letting her fork do all the work.

"You picked a great place. This is so nice!" Anna said through a mouthful of waffle.

"Yes, and it's fast."

Anna struggled to swallow her last bite and washed it down with a gulp of coffee before she continued to make small talk.

"So, can I ask you something?" Anna took another sip of coffee.

"Yes." Elsa was intrigued now.

"What made you decide to do that song last night? I mean, it was amazing, don't get me wrong. It just wasn't what I was expecting." Anna hoped she hadn't offended Elsa.

"I wasn't expecting it, either. The friend I was with picked it out for me. I think it was her attempt to get me to come out of my shell. That's not something I would have chosen on my own, for sure." Elsa shook her head as she flash backed to the memory of herself from the previous night.

"That makes more sense. But you seemed to have really enjoyed yourself, so I guess it worked." Anna was slowing down on her food as she felt her stomach getting full.

Elsa debated whether or not to tell Anna exactly what went on last night and why she ended up having a moment of personal liberation in a karaoke bar. She felt like she could tell her anything because Anna was so warm and sensitive. She would understand. But part of her wanted to hold back.

"I have been going through a rough time the past few months... It's a long story... I think that was all coming out last night. And I won't lie, I think of small part of me was trying to impress you." A blush was spreading across Elsa's face and she stared down at her coffee, finding it hard to look at Anna in the eyes after being so honest.

"I think 'impress' is an understatement. I mean, here we are, so... It's like it was meant to be." Anna reached out to take Elsa's hand that was sitting on the table in her own, gently rubbing her thumb over her porcelain skin.

They continued to talk while they ate and Elsa was starting to dread the thought of the afternoon coming to an end soon. Anna was like no one else she had met before. She was funny and sensitive and made the sexiest little smirks. She wasn't sure if it was the fact that she hadn't been on a date in a year or if it was something about Anna that left her wanting more. She was pretty sure it was the latter. All of Anna's little eccentricities just made her all the more lovable. Yes she rambled, but she was never boring. She was the perfect ying to Elsa's yang. For all the pain that she had been through the past few months, it was starting to feel like she had fought for what was now materializing before her eyes.

"I've got this."

Elsa grabbed the check off the table before Anna could get her hands on it.

"No way, I'm the one who asked you out."

Elsa playfully laughed and held the check even further away as Anna tried her hardest to pry it from her hands.

"I'm not about to make a college student pay for my breakfast. You can buy me breakfast after you graduate."

They both stopped laughing for a minute as Elsa realized what she had said.

"You'll still want to have lunch with me after June?"

"I'm sorry that was presumptuous of me."

"No, no. I want to... I mean, I hope we do."

Elsa tried to recover, her cheeks a little flushed from embarrassment.

"I think what I meant to say was that I had fun and I'd like to see you again."

"Me, too!" Anna was a little too over enthusiastic in her response. There was a long moment of silence as the two young women gazed into each other's eyes. "Shall we head out?"

This time on the drive home, Anna tried to pace herself and drove slower, wanting to spend as much time with Elsa as possible. They giggled and laughed the whole way, sang along to the radio, and told jokes. It felt like they had known each other a lot longer. They just seemed to fit together so naturally. But the good time came to an end when Anna pulled up to Elsa's apartment. Anna tried to muster up the courage to say goodbye and was deciding whether or not she should try to kiss Elsa. Or maybe Elsa would try to kiss her. The butterflies in her stomach were beginning to make her feel lightheaded.

"I don't know what your plans were, but it's still early in the day. Would you like to come in for a while?"

Elsa figured they were having such a good time, why should they stop here?

"Yeah, I'd like that."

* * *

"Would you like something to drink?"

"Water would be great."

Anna sat down on Elsa's comfy white leather couch and looked around the apartment, trying to get a better sense of Elsa from it. The color scheme consisted of all cool colors: blues, whites, and purples. It was immaculately clean and there were a few pieces of art on the walls. She couldn't help but notice that the place seemed to have a lot of symmetry to it and Elsa seemed to have a thing for geometric patterns. _Of course she would. She's an architect, genius._ Anna almost face palmed herself right there on the spot.

"Your place is really nice. I like the colors."

Elsa put a glass of water for Anna on a coaster and sat down next to her, sliding her shoes off.

"Thanks. This is my first place on my own, so it's nice to have the feeling of 'everything in here is something I paid for.'"

"Yeah I can understand that. I can't wait to be done with school so I can stop eating Ramen noodles."

The sexual tension was killing Elsa. She felt she'd been talking forever and she just wanted to kiss Anna already. Seeing that she might be a little shy, Elsa wasn't sure if she'd have to make a move first.

"I like this one." Anna pointed to a framed painting of a snowy white-capped mountain hanging on the wall to the right of Elsa.

"Oh, it's something I saw at a friend's gallery showing."

While Elsa was busy talking about the painting, Anna moved in closer.

"She gave me a great deal on it and I just couldn't refuse."

Elsa turned away from the painting and slowly back towards Anna. Anna reached out and gently wrapped her hand around the back of Elsa's neck as she pulled her in for the most splendid soft kiss Elsa had ever experienced. Anna held their lips together and let them linger a bit longer than normal, savoring the moment. When her eyes fluttered open she saw Elsa smiling back at her.

"I was wondering if that was ever going to happen." Elsa tucked her bottom lip into her mouth and licked it, perhaps just to taste Anna lips one more time.

"I know what 'do you want to come in' is code for. Besides I've been dying to do that ever since I heard you sing last night."

They leaned back in to continue where they left off. Elsa's hands were on the side on Anna's face and were pulling the ginger in closer. Their heads tilted side to side, each kiss deeper than the next. Their lips glided effortlessly over one another, feeling as if they were the perfect match. Elsa was the first to gently reach out and massage Anna's tongue with her own. Just a light touch, tempting Anna to reply with more vigor. The kissing became more passionate as an entire afternoon of build up was now being unleashed. Most of lunch had felt like a long hour of foreplay. Elsa had been dying to run her hands over Anna's slim and fit body. Just as much as Anna had wanted to taste Elsa's perfectly rose red lips. They were both starting to moan in to each other's mouths, hands running through hair, and clothes begging to be shed. Elsa reached down and slid off Anna's cardigan, exposing even more deliciously freckled skin. She traced the lines of Anna's camisole straps and continued down her shirt, running a finger ever so gently over Anna's chest, sending shivers down her spine. Surprised at her own actions, Elsa pulled back and broke the kiss.

"I'm sorry; I don't know what came over me. I don't normally act this way with someone I've practically just met," Elsa admitted.

"Just do what feels right." Anna was eager to get back to their little activity.

Elsa had to think a minute about what that might be. She couldn't think over the voice in her head screaming to keep kissing Anna. She figured that must be the right thing, even if it was out of the norm for her.

"You're right."

Elsa grabbed Anna's shoulders and pulled her back into a kiss. And it didn't take long before their passion started to take over again.

"Wait, wait. Maybe you're right." Anna said as she forced herself to pull back. Elsa shook her head in confusion. "Maybe you're right. This is already better than anything I could have imagined and I don't want to spoil it. If we keep going I might not be able to stop myself."

Elsa nodded her head. "We should slow down. As much as I want to keep going, I don't want to ruin anything by rushing." Elsa agreed.

"We obviously know we have chemistry. Let's just get to know each other better. I think there might be something here." Anna was gesturing back and forth between them.

"I think so, too. Do you just want to watch a movie instead? I just got _Julie and Julia_ and I haven't watched it yet."

"You know, usually I'd turn down an offer like that. But for you, I think I'll make an exception," Anna joked, giving Elsa a smirk.

The two spent the entire afternoon wrapped in a blanket on the couch and stole kisses throughout the movie. Elsa learned that Anna was a talker when it came to watching movies. She commented on everything and had to have Elsa explain what was going on or why something happened. But Elsa loved it. She wasn't lonely anymore and Anna seemed to fill that gaping hole in her heart she'd been feeling for a very long time.

* * *

**A huge special thanks to my beta Rootastic! There's a link on my profile page to the song Elsa sung at karaoke, "Because the Night" by 10,000 Maniacs. Thanks to everyone who's following, reading, and reviewing! **


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry for delay of this update. My Mac had some problems and had to go in for repairs. I actually wrote this whole chapter and lost it when my Mac crashed. Yep, I had to rewrite the whole thing. But here it is. Enjoy!**

* * *

Elsa lay flat on her back on the examination table, straining her head to look down at the measuring tape that Dr. Bjorgman had running up the length of her stomach. She watched as his large muscular hands seamlessly maneuvered the taped between his thumb and index fingers, measuring vertically and then horizontally.

"Is Anna going to be joining us today? If so I can hold off on doing the heartbeat until she gets here."

The weight of her head had become too much on her neck and she propped herself up on her elbows to get a view of the action.

"No she had a meeting she just couldn't get out of today. But she'll be here next time."

There was hint of sadness in her voice. She wasn't used to not having Anna with her at their appointments. This was the first one Anna had ever missed in the past three months. There was no witty repartee or silliness to balance the more somber feeling of the room.

"Well, you're measuring right at thirteen weeks, which is exactly what you are. I'd say growth rate is normal and right on track." The tall blonde man scratched the back of his neck as he spoke. "If you lay back down we can check the heartbeat."

Any feelings of sadness that had been brought on by the reminder of Anna's absence were quickly replaced with the warm feeling of joy.

"This is my favorite part! Anna said the other day she wished she had one of the dopplers at home so she could listen to it every day." She smiled as she pictured Anna's gleaming face.

Dr. Bjorgman got out a small handheld fetal doppler and nestled it into the side of Elsa's now curvaceous stomach. She held her breath when she didn't hear anything but static at first. Dr. Bjorgman began to twist and glide the instrument around as he stared up at the ceiling, allowing his ear to better focus on the sound.

"Come on little one. Where are you?" He said as he switched to the other side of her abdomen.

The anticipation was killing Elsa, her eyes darting and forth between Dr. Bjorgman and the doppler. The static was interrupted by a loud swishing sound that made Elsa twist her face in confusion.

"That was just the baby moving away from the doppler. They don't like the sound the waves create. You've got an active one already."

Movement is good. You can't move without a heartbeat. Elsa thought to herself. Finally a tiny heartbeat sound came over the speaker as Dr. Bjorgman counted the beats and timed them with his watch. A smile that felt like it came straight from her heart stretched across Elsa's face. These were the moment she treasured the most. They helped to remind her that this was why her body had been putting itself through hell the past few months.

"Heartbeat sounds great, very strong. We'll just do some palpitations and then we can talk about any concerns you're having."

"Okay." She replied.

Elsa tried to fight the giggles that were desperately trying to escape from her. Dr. Bjorgman's hands were lightly pushing into Elsa's stomach to get a better idea of her uterus size and position, but it tickled Elsa like crazy.

"It's okay, you don't have to fight it. You're not the first patient I've had that was ticklish."

A burst of laughter escaped from her once she stopped trying to suppress the feeling.

"I'm sorry. This happens every time." She brought her hand up to her mouth trying to stifle the continuous flow of giggles.

"I'm feeling that your placenta is really low. You're probably going to need to take it easy for a while so that it can move away from your cervix. Here, sit up and I'll explain."

He held out his hand and helped Elsa come to an upright position. A look of concern came over her as the giggles had stopped and were replaced with knitted eyebrows.

"It's not a major concern at this point but basically you don't want your placenta too low or it will block the baby's path out of the womb during delivery. I want to check it again in a week and if it's not moving up you'll need to go on best rest."

Her head shook in disbelief.

"Bed rest? For how long? What am I going to tell my work? They don't even know I'm pregnant yet." She ran her hands through her hair a few times before resting her fingers on her temples. This was not the news she'd been hoping to hear. She knew she was going to have to tell her work eventually but she had wanted to do it in her own time. Which was never at the rate she was going.

"You're far enough along that you would be safe in telling work. Miscarriage is less of a concern after twelve weeks." Elsa gave a defeated sounding sigh and hung her head before looking back up at Dr. Bjorgman.

"I know, you're right. I've been avoiding. I'm working on so many projects right now that I know I'm going to ruffle some feathers with this news."

He reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. "Elsa woman get pregnant all the time, even working woman. They'll understand."

He gave her a sympathetic smile and patted her on the back.

"Thanks. I'm not looking forward to it but it has to be done." She rolled her eyes and looked back at Dr. Bjorgman who was now sitting on his rolling doctor's stool.

"Well like I said, everything looks good. Is there anything else that you're noticing or any questions you have?" He leaned over with his elbows on his knees, hands clasped together. Elsa liked that was so caring and warm. She normally didn't go to male doctors but he was so highly recommended for his bedside manner and the Scandinavian name just sealed the deal for her.

"I have been noticing that I'm really short tempered lately. I get angry so quickly and I've been snapping at Anna. Well mostly Anna but I've also been short with people at work as well. And then like nothing I'll be fine again in no time flat. It's like an emotional roller coaster."

Dr. Bjorgman just smiled and looked as Elsa with his kind brown eyes. "That would be the hormones. It's very common to have mood swing at this point. A lot woman also report crying spells around this time. Other woman also feel an increased sense of libido. Hormones affect everyone differently and maybe for you you're just irritated more easily."

Elsa crossed her legs and readjusted herself on the table. "I haven't been crying but I have been experiencing the...other thing you mentioned." Elsa wasn't exactly someone to kiss and tell, even if it was a clinical setting she rarely talked about her sex life or her desire for sex with anyone else besides Anna and some of her close friends.

Dr. Bjorgman gave her a confused look as he tried to think back to what he had just said. "The increase libido?"

"Yes, that. I haven't even really talked about it with Anna. Not that she'd even be in the mood with the way I've been acting."

"Again, perfectly normal and, with your partners consent, sex is really good for pregnant woman. I actually have a handout on it if you want to take it home and talk about it with Anna." He slide his chair over to a set of draws and pulled out the handout for Elsa.

"Thanks. When and if it comes up this might come in handy." She folded the paper into thirds and tucked it neatly into her bag. As she stood and walked towards the door Dr. Bjorgman stopped her.

"Elsa don't be too hard on yourself. You've got a lot of changes going on, you're working full time, and you had a pretty rough first couple of months with the morning sickness and all. Tell Anna to give me a call if she has any questions and I'd be happy to talk to her."

"Thanks, I'll try."

* * *

On the drive back from the doctor's Elsa thought of all the possible ways she could break the news to work. She couldn't decide if she should call a meeting and do it in private with her close superiors or just tell everyone all at once at their Monday morning meeting. She sat at her desk and turned her computer on to look at her calendar to see when she could schedule something. As she was scanning the days she noticed a full day blocked out in bright green, which usually meant an out of office day. "Team building retreat." She read out loud. She'd been so preoccupied lately that she had forgotten that they were going up to a coworkers lake house that Friday for a team building event. _This will be perfect. Everyone will be there; it will be casual and relaxed._ Team building events usually consisted of food and different activities and games that were supposed to help everyone get to know each other better. She breathed a sigh of relief as she pictured the event unfolding in her head. Just to be safe she decided to schedule a meeting with the head of the firm to let him know of her plans ahead of time, figuring he would not be pleased to find out in front of everyone else on Friday.

Thursday rolled around and Elsa was finally meeting with her boss. She nervously sat at her desk rubbing her thumb into her palm as she wrung her hands. A nervous habit of hers. All she really had to say was that she was expecting a baby at the end of the summer, just one little line but he stomach was in knots none the less. _9:59, guess I better start walking over there and get this over with._ She walked down the hall to Mr. Bennet's door and took a second to straighten her white blazer and flip her long braid over her shoulder. She raised her hand to the door and knocked twice and immediately went back to wringing her hands. The knock sounding more timid than she had hoped.

"Ahh...Elsa. What a pleasure to see you this morning." Mr. Bennet was tall and burly man, dressed as always in a suit and tie. "So what is it you wanted to see me about this morning?"

He sat back in his chair and motioned for Elsa to have a seat in one of the many guest chairs in his palatial office.

"Um...well I have some news that I wanted to share with everyone at the team building event tomorrow but before I did I wanted to tell you first."

The dark haired man didn't say anything and just leaned forward with questioning eyes. After a moment he finally said something as Elsa appeared to be awaiting his response.

"And that would be..."

"My wife and I are expecting a baby and I'm due sometime towards the end of the summer."

She held her breath and waited for his reply, her mouth still open in anticipation.

"Oh well, this is great news!"

_Oh thank God he's happy._

Elsa let out a forceful breath of air as she could now feel that oh so heavy weight lifted from her shoulders.

"Well we can talk about the details later and I'm sure you'll also need to let human resources know, but for now let me just say congratulations."

He didn't get up to hug her or anything but this was the best scenario she could have hoped for. He wasn't mad and he didn't make her feel guilty about having a life outside of work for once.

The team building event was and hour drive away and Elsa had plenty of time to think about how she wanted to tell everyone. She wasn't as nervous as she had been telling Mr. Bennet, maybe because she was getting so much practice telling people she was pregnant. With the skyline of the city now in the rearview mirror, it wasn't long before the concrete jungle gave way to tall evergreen trees. Trees that reminded her home, but in a good way.

She pulled up to the large cabin style home and took in the smell of fresh air and pine as she got out and walked to the front door. The street was lined with cars so she figured she must be at the right home. The place was packed with familiar faces and trays of food were everywhere. For the first time in weeks Elsa was so glad to have the smell of food feel pleasant again. She was starving and couldn't wait to get this over with so she could eat to her hearts content. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Tiana emerge from the crowd of people.

"Yeah you! Today's the day right?" She nudged Elsa's shoulder and winked.

"Yes and I can't wait to get this off my chest." Elsa looked around the room, thinking about the number of people she was going to have to tell.

"Speaking of chest, what is going on here." Tiana pointed to the buttons on Elsa's blouse that were clearly holding for dear life.

"Oh my God I know. They get bigger every day. It's like they have a mind of their own and it's all I can do to button my shirt in morning." Elsa had already begun to snack off a nearby tray of veggies.

"Listen I have an idea. One of the activities we're doing today is one where you write two things about yourself down on a card and then the cards are read out loud and everyone has to guess who that person is, based on what the card says. You should write that you're pregnant on yours. It's a great way to tell everyone all at once."

Elsa reiterated to what Tiana had just said to herself and thought about it. "That is a great idea. Although, I have no idea what I'm going to write for the second thing." She picked up a carrot and swirled in a tub of ranch dressing.

"Here let me go get you a card and you can put it in with the rest."

Leave it to Tiana to come up with a cleaver with a clever way to help out a girl in need. Tiana returned with a stack of white index card and handed one to Elsa. She knew she wanted the pregnancy to be the second item on her card but was struggling to think of something else to write. Her eyebrows contorted as she sank deeper into thought. Just put anything. It doesn't matter and no one will even remember what the first thing was after they here the second one. She quickly scribbled something down and handed to card back to Tiana.

Feeling a little bit better after getting some food on her stomach, she'd gone back three times to the buffet already, she grabbed a seat next to Tiana in the giant circle of chairs. Elsa started to feel a little nervous but realized she was actually excited at the same time. This was good news for once. She didn't have anything to worry about. Mr. Bennet's assistance Lotty was in charge of reading the cards and Elsa had no idea if he'd told her or not.

After the first few cards were read and people were having a good laugh at trying to guess who each was about, Elsa caught herself having a great time. She was so involved in the activity that she was no longer nervous about the big news she was about to share. Lotty put her hand into the stack of cards and pulled out the next one, reading in her slow southern drawl.

"Okay y'all. This next says 'my favorite time of year is winter..."

"And...I am pregnant."

Lotty gasped after she finished reading and her bright wide eyes looked around the circle of people. Elsa's heart skipped a beat as she reminded herself not to give it away and play cool. But there was nothing she could do about the warmth spreading across her cheeks like a wild fire. She for sure thought her face was beet red and would give herself away in a heartbeat. Suddenly all eyes were shifting around to each woman in the circle, surveying each one for any blossoming signs of motherhood.

"Is it Sarah?" One woman finally guessed. "No way. My boyfriend would kill me." Sarah remarked.

Elsa started to wonder just how long this was going to go on. Tiana must have known that Elsa was dying of anticipation and gave her a look. Other people shot out some guesses but no one was even looking at Elsa. Tiana couldn't take it anymore and finally blurted out.

"It's Elsa!"

Elsa instantly felt every pair of eyes in the room on her. On her stomach to be more exact.

"Really?" Lotty asked.

"It's true. She told me yesterday." Mr. Bennet said proudly.

A murmur of 'awws' and 'congratulations' was followed by clapping as Elsa shyly smiled and took in the admirations.

"Thank you everyone. Yes, it's true. I love winter. No I'm kidding, I do, but I'm also pregnant."

She couldn't resist trying to get a laugh. It felt slightly uncomfortable to be in the spotlight but it felt amazingly good at the same time to feel that everyone was happy for her and wished her nothing but the best. It brought out a softer side of Elsa, who was normally all business at work. Tiana leaned over and whispered into Elsa's ear.

"See that wasn't so bad. And now you don't have to hide anything anymore."

Elsa nodded. "I know, it's so freeing."

* * *

The day had been a complete success and Elsa couldn't wait to get home and tell Anna. The hour long drive felt even longer than it had been on the way up to the lake. Tired but still amped from the day's events, Elsa made her way up the driveway and walked through the front door, eager to see Anna and hold her in her arms.

"Anna?" Her cobalt eyes searched around the house but there was no sign of the redhead. Usually on a Friday night she'd be curled up on the couch grading papers or watching TV.

"I'm up here." Anna yelled from what would be the baby's room upstairs.

The stairs were slowly becoming Elsa's mortal enemy. Climbing a bunch of steps was always the last thing she felt like doing at the end of a long day. But knowing Anna would be at the top helped put an extra pep in her step.

"I had the best time today. I told everyone and they were all so nice about." Elsa had reached the top of the stair and was now rounding the hallway into the still undecorated room.

"You would not believe the-."

She stopped mid-sentence when entered the room and saw what Anna had in the swing.

"What is Lilla doing in there?"

The color drained from Elsa's as she saw her childhood stuffed bear buckled into the swing like a baby.

"Is that her name? Is it Norwegian? What does it mean?"

Anna was just an endless parade of questions and seemed to overlook the angered expression that had overtaken Elsa's face. The blonde had completely done a one eighty in a matter of seconds.

"It means purple. Don't change the subject. Where did you find that?"

Anna was only trying to be playful by asking so many questions but she was now shaken by Elsa's tone. Elsa had dropped her purse in the doorway and was pointing to the little bear with her hand on her hip, as if Anna was being scolded at by a parent.

"I-I found her in a box. I just wanted to see what it would be like to have an actual baby in there and I wanted to practice using the buckles."

"What boxes?" Elsa yelled.

"The ones up stairs. I don't know, I think. It was in the white storage boxes." Anna was competently thrown by Elsa's reaction.

"_My_ boxes. They were in _my_ boxes. The ones I asked you not to open."

Elsa's hands started to shake and she crossed her arms in an effort to hide it from Anna. The redhead stood up from where she had been kneeling over the swing.

"Elsa you need to calm down. I didn't mean any harm and I don't understand why you're so upset."

Elsa took a deep breath and tried to remember the conversation she had with Anna about not snapping at her. But this was really testing her.

"Anna those boxes are not to be opened." Her voice was boarding on shouting.

"Why? What is it you're hiding? You know this is _our_ home. _Our_ home. And I'm actually forbidden from opening something in our own damn home."

"Anna those boxes are the only things left I have from my childhood. It's everything I could get my hands on before I left."

And there it was. The old familiar pain that burned in Elsa's chest. The pain that came whenever she talked about her family. The pain she desperately tried to avoid. Anna put her hands on her hips and walked right up to Elsa.

"Wait a minute. We've been together for six years. And married for three and this is the first time I'm hearing about these boxes. Do you not see what's wrong with this picture?" Anna threw her hands up in frustration.

"I'm not trying to hide it from you I just don't ever look at that stuff. And besides, I did tell you about them when we moved in." Elsa now felt like she was on the defensive.

"Elsa, this has to stop. You can't run away from this the rest of your life. I'm sorry, but the best thing you could do for yourself is to go through all that stuff and have a good cry over it. That can't be any worse than trying to burying all those feeling deep inside you."

Elsa wanted to walk away but that would have only affirmed what Anna had just said about running away. Instead she closed her eyes and swallowed hard, trying desperately to keep the volume of her voice at a reasonable level.

"One day I will okay. But not today."

Elsa started to walk over and take Lilla out of the swing when Anna spun her around and stopped her, grabbing her by the arm.

"No, Elsa. I've been patient enough. I know that opening those boxes would be hard and painful but you wouldn't be doing it alone. I'll be right here. I'll be right by your side to hold you and wipe away every tear. But you have to let me in. You have to face this."

Elsa had never seen Anna so determined about something in their entire relationship. She was now torn between enduring the pain of the past and enduring the pain of the future by hurting Anna. Elsa had never admitted it but it did fill her with shame that she kept so much about her past from Anna. Elsa had never wanted it to come between them, knowing she couldn't handle the emotions after years of numbing and suppressing. She knew what she had to do but couldn't bring herself to say the words. Anna could see the turmoil on Elsa's face and knew she was at war with herself. She took Elsa's hand and interlaced their fingers together, moving closer to look deep into Elsa's sky blue eyes.

"Please do this for me. Just one box. We'll just go through one box of stuff tonight." Anna's voice was soft and angelic.

Elsa tried to will herself to nod 'yes' but was too busy fighting back the tears that were welling up in her eyes.

"I know you're scared. But we're going to do this together. Look at what keeping it in is doing to you. Look at what it's doing to us."

Elsa looked into Anna's eyes. They were so full of love and kindness. And somewhere within them she found the courage to nod ' yes.'

"Okay then. Go sit on the couch and I'll go grab one of the boxes. Okay?"

Still unable to talk, Elsa again nodded. As Anna trotted down the steps the basement, Elsa walked downstairs and tried to collect herself on the couch, running her hands through her hair and pushing the loose strands of long bangs back into her braid. There was not one piece of her that wanted to do this for any other reason than for Anna. She looked down at her trembling hands and clenched them into fists, trying to steady them. Anna returned with one of the small white weatherproof boxes. Elsa's heart sank as soon as she laid on eyes on it and her heart began to race, her breathing became heavy.

"Maybe it would be easier if I open it and pull the stuff out." Anna suggested as Elsa nodded.

"You can do this." Anna reassured her and rubbed the top of Elsa's knee.

She looked inside the box and grabbed the first thing she saw, a soft white delicately knitted blanket with an 'E' embroidered on the corner. She lifted the folded up blanket and set it on her lap. As soon as it came into Elsa's vision the tears began to fall and she buried her face in her hands. Out of all the things Anna had to pull out first it had to be Elsa's baby blanket. She hadn't seen it since the day she threw it into the suitcase, knowing one day she might want to wrap her own baby it. That was all it took to break down the walls that Elsa had built so high. It felt like something within her broke and she instantly felt all strength leave her body. She couldn't begin to wrap her mind around the idea of her parents being as happy as her and Anna were to be having a baby, only to throw her out of their lives. Her father's voice echoed in her head. All the horrible things he said to came rushing back. True, they'd never really had much a relationship to begin with, but Elsa wanted nothing more than for him to show her some kind of recognition that she was more than someone to hand the company down to. She'd wanted her mother to fight for her, to stand up for her. But they didn't. They never could. And it broke Elsa's heart. Did they ever think about her? Were their lives any different? These were the questions that always surfaced but she never let her herself think about for too long. Anna didn't say a word and set the blanket on the coffee table. She promised she'd be there for Elsa, and she was. She pulled Elsa's hands away from her face and cradled her in her arms. Elsa's body caved into the redhead's and Anna squeezed her tighter, pressing against the blondes heaving back. Anna's heart felt like it was breaking each time she heard one of Elsa's tiny cries and she stroked the back of Elsa's head, feeling the ridges of her braid. She kissed the back of one of Elsa's ears and softly whispered words of comfort. She'd pushed Elsa far enough and began to feel a sense of regret. With her free hand she put the blanket back in the box and put the top on. And just like she promised, she was right there for Elsa, never letting her go.

* * *

**I love the feedback everyone is giving! Please continue to review as I do take each and every one into consideration when writing the next chapter. Next update will be a return of the fluff...and hormones (hotness ensues).**


	11. Chapter 11

**Update time! Finally. Warning: there is smut in the middle of this chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

When the tears had finally dried, Anna found herself feeling intense relief and heartbreak at the same time. Relief at the feeling that Elsa's impenetrable walls were finally starting to show signs of coming down. But at what cost? It had been torture watching Elsa breakdown in her arms, even though Anna tried to remind herself that part of this was caused by Elsa's parents. Anna had pushed, and regrettably done so, but she wasn't responsible for what they had put Elsa through. It wasn't until sometime later that Anna started to worry about the physical toll the whole night had taken on Elsa and the baby. Trying her best to remedy the situation, Anna helped Elsa up the stairs and drew her a warm bath, complete with bubbles and those yummy smelling three wick candles Elsa loved to buy.

Elsa sat motionless in the tub amongst a sea of bubbles, curled up as much into ball as her expanding waistline would allow, her braid hanging lifelessly down her pale back. Anna lit a few candles and turned off the lights. Even though Elsa had been crying off and on for over an hour, Anna couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked. Her skin was like moonlight in the dimness of the room and her hair still looked gorgeous as ever, even with her braid mussed and half undone. Anna pulled up a small sitting stool next to the side of the tub and grabbed a nearby luffa and some body wash from the corner of the tub. Neither of them said a word while Anna drizzled the body wash over the luffa, brushed Elsa's braid aside and scrubbed little circles over her curved back. She could see the rise and fall of Elsa's back as she breathed, as if she was witnessing her body trying to repair itself before her very eyes. It was slow but deep and Anna didn't know was even still awake or had drifted off. She cupped her hand and splashed Elsa's back with water to rinse of the thick coat of bubbles. When she was done she grabbed Elsa's braid and lovingly took out the elastic and undid the it, running her fingers through the partially damps strands.

"Can I wash your hair?"

Anna asked feeling helpless just sitting and watching as she waited for life to return to Elsa's eyes.

"Yeah. That would be nice."

A fragile smile peeked out from the corner of her mouth as she turned her head to face Anna, laying her cheek against the top of her boney knees. It had been a rough night for sure, but nothing felt better than being cared for by Anna. Elsa knew she'd pushed her out of love. Anna wasn't the kind of person who would purposely cause anyone harm. Anna grabbed a rinsing cup and the bottle of Elsa's shampoo. Elsa's hair was so long and thick that Anna figured it would be best to work her way from the bottom up to get it completely wet. She gathered the blonde locks and poured a cupful of water down Elsa's back. It took three or four scoops of water before her hair was thoroughly wet.

"Here, lean your head back." Anna said softly.

Elsa closed her eyes and arched her back as Anna carefully poured more water over Elsa's hair, using her hand to guide the stream away from Elsa's face. She put the cup down and squirted some of the shampoo onto her hands and began to massage it into Elsa's scalp using light pressure with her fingertips, sending little waves of shivers down Elsa's spine. Anna had been waiting for the right time to say something and couldn't hold her tongue any longer.

"Elsa, I'm sorry about tonight. I'm sorry I pushed you."

Elsa didn't respond right way and just looked forward as Anna continued to work the foaming shampoo into the ends of her hair. After a long drawn out breath Elsa finally replied.

"I understand why you did it. As much as it hurts for me to think about it, it must hurt you just as much to feel shut out." Anna's mouth frowned slightly and she stopped what she was doing.

"I don't feel shut out...entirely. It's more like there's a part of you I don't know. I want to know all of you because I love you. All of you. I just want you to let me in."

Anna reached for the cup and began to rinse Elsa's hair and work in a honey smelling conditioner, accidentally using way too much.

"I know." Elsa was exhausted, emotionally and physically.

There wasn't much more that could be said without feeling like they were belaboring the point.

"Anna, I love you no matter what. Even when you push me. I'm not mad. Just tired."

Elsa's eyes were getting heavier and finally just let them flutter closed. Anna finished rising out the last of the conditioner and wrung out the water from her silky smooth tresses.

"We can talk about this later. Let's get you, I mean you _two_ to bed."

Elsa smiled, uncurled her body and stood up to wrap herself in a giant white fluffy towel Anna was holding out for her.

"You didn't even let me tell you about my day." Elsa's playfulness was finally returning, a tired playfulness at best.

"I'll tell you what. Tomorrow I will make breakfast, you can sleep in...obviously, and you can tell me everything about the event. And I promise I will just listen the entire time." She said with a gleaming smile as she blew out the flickering candles.

"You not talk. Don't make promises you can't keep." Elsa smirked as she grabbed Anna's hand and lead her to the bedroom.

Things were starting to feel better but Elsa couldn't wait to get a good nights sleep and put this whole day behind her.

* * *

"Morning sunshine."

Anna opened her eyes to find Elsa's wide eyed face directly in front her. She was biting her lip like she was trying to keep her smile from curling up too high, fluttering those flirtatious eyelashes of hers. Anna could feel Elsa's feet lightly rubbing against her own in a rhythmic fashion.

"You look really happy about something. Did you have a good dream or something?"

Elsa didn't even say anything and just enthusiastically nodded her head.

"Oh I see." Anna was quickly starting to put the pieces together.

The only time Elsa was in this good of a mood in the morning was when she was craving some Anna time. She was still bleary eyed and really tired and hadn't caught up to Elsa's excitement level, who was leaps and bounds ahead of Anna. The blonde nuzzled her nose into the crook of Anna's neck and began to press wet kisses onto a soft spot near Anna throat while the redhead rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"Mmmm...mmmm." Breathy moans began to vibrate across Anna's neck.

_Wow she's already moaning. She must be really worked up._

Elsa slowly worked her way up to Anna's ear and licked around the shell of it before she whispered to the redhead.

"I was dreaming about you."

Anna let out a nervous laugh.

"I hope it was me."

Elsa was coming on so strong that it was bringing out Anna's awkward side. She was really enjoying watching Elsa get herself all hot and bothered and just decided to let her do her thing. Elsa's free hand began to slowly skim up Anna's stomach and under her shirt, tickling her ever so slightly. And she didn't stop there. Elsa grabbed Anna's breast and began to knead and lightly pinch.

"Oh..ahh...wow that must have been some dream. Not that I'm complaining."

Elsa's long blonde hair was right under Anna's nose and she leaned in to soak up Elsa's scent.

"Oh God your hair smells so good."

Elsa laughed and looked up at Anna's teal eyes.

"That's because you used so much conditioner last night."

The smell pretty much provided the boost Anna needed to try and catch up to Elsa. Before she knew it they both had their hands all over each other while Elsa feverishly kissed Anna. It was like Anna was the air Elsa needed in order to breathe. The redhead couldn't help but notice that Elsa's breasts had gotten bigger. A lot bigger. Maybe even a full size or more. And they felt really good underneath Anna's grip.

Things hadn't progressed to this level in quite some time. Elsa was usually too nauseous or tired the past month to even consider sex. But with the morning sickness now subsiding, Anna figured Elsa must have rediscovered her urges and maybe gained some new ones in the process. As soon as Anna felt like they were on the same page, Elsa kept taking things to the next level. Her breathing was labored and she was moaning like they were already having sex. She pulled away from Anna and looked at her with hooded eyes as she sat up and took off her shirt. Anna had to readjust her eyes as Elsa's belly suddenly reminded her she was pregnant. It hadn't really come up before because Elsa hadn't been showing until the past few weeks. Not only that but Anna skipped the chapters about having sex while pregnant because she figured that it wasn't going to be happening for a while. Plus, it only covered sex between a man and woman, which didn't help Anna at all.

Things were moving really fast now and Anna's head was starting to spin. Elsa was craving Anna like she had an itch and Anna was the only one who could scratch it. Anna went inside her head and started thinking about how much of this the baby was hearing or feeling. It was almost like having a third person in the room and the only one who seemed to be bothered by it was Anna, clearly as Elsa was now down to just underwear and thrusting her self against Anna- who still had on all of her clothes.

"Elsa...Elsa...slow down. You're going a million miles an hour here." She grabbed hold of Elsa's shoulders and tried to push her back but the blonde wasn't budging.

"I'm sorry. I can't help it." She was speaking in between kisses she was planting on Anna's chest, leaving red marks everywhere.

"I think it might be the hormones because I keep having these dreams." She continued as she pulled up Anna's shirt and started kissing up the side of her ribs.

"W-what kind of dreams?" Anna stuttered as she was almost afraid to ask.

"Naughty dreams." Elsa had stopped kissing Anna and was looking up at her. Elsa's eyes were dark and hungry.

"Anna _please_."

To say Anna was hesitant was an understatement. Elsa wasn't even giving her a minute to think. She didn't know what Elsa's body could handle and she couldn't help but be a little weirded out by the thought of their baby being right in the middle of them.

"Elsa I can't."

Anna felt terrible to be the one to bring things to a screeching halt but a conversation about this really needed to happen first.

"What's wrong?" Elsa reached out to hold Anna's hand but the redhead quickly scooted to the edge of their king sized bed.

"Nothing's wrong I just...don't want to hurt you or baby or... I don't know this is...different." Anna rubbed her palm against her forehead, trying to put her feelings into words the best she could.

"Wait no, no, no. Sex is good for me. Dr. Bjorgman said it's fine. It helps fight cramping and fatigue, and it's aerobic."

Elsa wished she could remember where she put that damn handout he gave her.

"Yeah at the rate you were going I could see how it would be very aerobic. But what if baby can hear? What if it gets scared or something? What if it thinks I'm hurting you?!"

"What?" Elsa laughed a little as she spoke.

"Anna. The baby doesn't know what we're doing and it doesn't really care. Pregnant people have sex all the time and their kids are fine."

Anna was thinking about what Elsa had said as she drummed her fingers steadily over her chin. It made sense but didn't make her feel any less guilty. Elsa was starting to feel discouraged at the amount of time Anna was taking to think.

"So are we just going to wait another four and a half months to have sex? I have to wait another six weeks after the baby is born."

No sex for five to six months didn't sound realistic or good for their relationship.

"No, that sounds crazy. I'm sorry I just didn't think about this before. But what you're saying makes sense. It's not that I don't want to have sex with you, there's just a lot more to consider now. You need to be really vocal with me if something hurts or anything okay?"

Elsa tried to contain her excitement as she could tell Anna was beginning to come around.

"Yes, I promise. Just as long as you don't treat me like some breakable thing."

"I'll try not to but you have to understand where I'm coming from." Anna firmly pointed a finger at Elsa.

"I understand. Can we be done talking and start doing now? Please, I feel like I'm on fire and I'm going to burst if you don't kiss me." Elsa had flopped back down on the mattress, blonde locks of hair splaying everywhere.

"Okay okay. Just slow down." Anna tried to emphasise.

Anna now saw her role in this whole thing as if she were getting Elsa something from the drugstore or propping a pillow under her feet. This woman clearly had needs that needed to be met and Anna was going to be there for her. It was her duty, whether they were on the same page or not. Besides, there could be worse things her wife could be pushing her into.

_Okay, can't lay on top. How am I gonna do this?_

Anna was trying to figure out the best position to start in.

_On the side. Yes, genius Anna._

Anna thought this would be the best position for Elsa to just lie back and enjoy herself but she was quickly realizing that Elsa wanted to be an active participant and would not lay still.

"Hey, jumping bean. I know you're very eager but you need to lay still if you want me to actually participate here. There's a whole other obstacle I have to think about here." Anna glanced down at Elsa's stomach and then back at Elsa to emphases her point.

"Sorry. I'll try. Please, please, please continue."

With Elsa finally still Anna felt like she had a better handle on things and she could think.

"Good, just relax. Just let me take care of you."

That alone made Elsa's heart rate speed up, which only made it harder to obey Anna's wish and relax.

Feeling rather unsexy in her worn out t-shirt, Anna pulled the ragged thing up and over head, tossing it to the floor. She then curled her body up against the side of Elsa's, spoon style. The blonde's body was radiating with heat. Now that Anna was back in control, she was going to take this a little slower. The change in pace showed on Elsa's face as an uncertainty had strained her fragile features. Anna brought her hand up to Elsa's face and gently began to caress it, running her fingers over the tiny baby hairs of Elsa's hairline. Silence filled the room and the only thing that could be heard were their tiny breaths. Anna brought herself closer and kissed Elsa's angel soft lips, sweeping her tongue across the blonde's bottom lip. What had started out as soft and patient kisses quickly turned into deeper and needier kisses by Elsa. Feeling a little more aroused and comfortable, Anna felt like she had made Elsa wait long enough.

"Roll over on you back." She whispered.

Elsa rolled over and pulled her hair out from under herself, flipping it off to the side. Assuming a position that felt more natural, Anna hovered over Elsa and continued to kiss her as she propped herself up on one elbow and ran a hand up and over the blonde curvaceous body. Elsa's skin had always felt great under Anna's hand, but the suppleness of her curves was a whole new sensation the made Anna's hands tingle with pleasure. Elsa was already back to moaning and panting and Anna thought it was a wonder she didn't pass out from hyperventilating.

"Not to break the mood, but this is your reminder to communicate with me." She said in a low and whispered voice.

Anticipation was getting the best of Elsa, as a nod was the only response she could manage to give. Anna knelt down and quickly slid off Elsa's underwear before crouching off to the side, her face over Elsa's. Cautiously, she ran her fingers over Elsa's center. Nothing felt any different, as far as Anna could tell. Elsa gritted her teeth and gasped out of pleasure as Anna motioned to enter her. All the while searching Elsa's face for any signs of discomfort. Not waiting for Anna, Elsa starting pushing hard against her hand, putting her own hand flush against the headboard to allow for better thrust. They weren't strangers to rough sex but Anna was having trouble enjoying herself as she continued to worry about hurting either one of them, even though Elsa was the one being forceful.

After a certain point there was nothing Anna could do to slow Elsa down from her own pace. And just as Anna thought she might, Elsa was at least getting an aerobic workout. Anna didn't need any hint about how close Elsa was from reaching her peak based on the increasing loudness and pitch of her whimpers and moans. Elsa had her fair share of times where she was the loud one in bed, but this first time Anna had ever heard her down right scream as she hit her peak. She could only look on in amazement and wonder just how intense it must have been as Elsa arched her back and her body jerked several times. Shaking and breathing like she'd just run a marathon, Elsa cupped her hand against Anna's cheek and pulled her closer for a kiss.

"Thank you."

Elsa was so breathless Anna could barely hear what she had said. She wanted to say, '_your welcome_' but really Elsa had done most of the work. Anna had never ended sex on such a confused note. They'd been together for six years and had perfected the choreography of their lovemaking to the point where they were practically mind readers. But this was completely different and Anna was utterly confused.

* * *

By Monday Anna was glad to be back at work, as it provided a much needed distraction after the roller coaster of a weekend. Her class had just ran out the door for morning recess, leaving her with a few much needed minutes to collect herself. Enjoying the silence she picked up an eraser and began to erase the morning's English lesson from the blackboard. Alone with her thoughts she couldn't help but think about how Elsa was doing if she herself felt a bit jarred from the events of the past few days. They'd gone from an emotional breakdown to fiery sex in just under 12 hours, not to mention more tension and arguing on Sunday. Anna was always one to keep her head above the water and stay optimistic, but this was beginning to become too much for her to handle on her own. She let out a forceful sigh and looked over her shoulder to the clock on the wall. There was still another ten minutes left of recess and she was pretty sure she couldn't hold out until lunch to call Dr. Bjorgman like Elsa had suggested. Putting the eraser back on the ledge of the board, Anna went to her desk and rummaged through the top draw for cell phone.

"Hi this is Anna Arendelle for Dr. Bjorgman."

The disturbing sound of elevator music came over the phone as she waited on hold, trying not to become even more stressed at the sight of the disheveled stack of papers on her desk that still needed to be graded.

"Anna, Hi. I'm glad you called. How can I help you?" His voice was so strong and calming and Anna couldn't help but they think sure picked the right guy to help them through this crazy time.

"Well...um, Elsa had told me to call but I actually wanted to call you myself, not just because she told me to because...I'm sorry. Anyways, I don't know what to do or what more I could do but things are really getting weird at home. I can't tell what's hormones anymore but Elsa is just all over the place. Granted I probably didn't help my forcing to her to drag her skeletons out the closet...not real ones, I mean figuratively. Obviously..."

Dr. Bjorgman interrupted Anna to save her from herself.

"Anna...Anna, it's okay. When I saw Elsa the other day she said she was experiencing a lot of conflicting emotions and we talked a little about that. Truth be told, having a baby is not easy on couples. It'll test you but it will also bring you closer in the end. And most of it is hormones but having a baby brings up a lot of things, for both of you I'm sure."

Anna held the phone close to her ear and could feel a sense of calm coming over her as he spoke.

"Listen there's not much you can do to make Elsa change at this time but there is something that might help you. A friend of mine runs a support group for non-pregnant partners. It's a great source of support and I'm sure you're running into a lot of issues that aren't talked about in any of your books."

Anna sat up straight and her eyes perked up.

"Yes, exactly! That's one of the problems I've been having is that everything I read is aimed at heterosexual couples. There wasn't anything in there that helped me with how to have sex with your pregnant partner or how to cope with not being the pregnant one. I could go on and on here."

Dr. Bjorgman chuckled at the way Anna always expressed herself so passionately.

"Well I think you'd really like this group. I'll have the receptionist call you and give you all the details. And Anna, please tell Elsa the truth about where you're going. Don't tell her you're going somewhere else because all my couples do that and it doesn't go over well. You're going to become a more supportive wife. She'll understand."

Anna rolled her eyes and couldn't believe how well he seemed to know her already.

"I feel better already. Thanks for the help doc."

* * *

Anna weaved through the ugly grey hallways of the hospital, frantically trying to find the room Dr. Bjorgman's receptionist had told Anna the group was meeting in. And in true Anna fashion, she was running late. Finally she found the meeting room filled with chairs forming a large circle and a table of drinks and snacks off to the side. Even if she was running late, Anna always made time for free food and sprinted over to grab a bottle of water and a small plate of chocolate chip cookies. As soon as she sat down she stuffed one of the moist and chewy cookies into her mouth, famished as she didn't have time to sit down and eat dinner with Elsa.

"Oh, looks like we have someone new today. Would you like to introduce yourself?" An older woman with short curly brown hair was waiting for Anna's response.

With her mouth full of cookie, Anna tried to swallow hard and clear her voice, making a gurgling sound.

"Sorry...I just downed a whole cookie. Um...well let's see. Hi, I'm Anna Arendelle. My wife is thirteen weeks pregnant. We'd been trying for almost a year with In Vitro and I couldn't get pregnant, but she did, of course, and now she's due at the end of the summer. I came today because...I'm having a really hard time with all of the new changes. Sometimes I feel like I can't tell Elsa everything I'm feeling or thinking because I don't want to upset her. I'm also still dealing with a lot of weird jealousy issues about her being the one to get to experience all this and I won't, ever. Which is really confusing because I'm so happy that we're having a baby and watching her be pregnant is amazing but a part of me is sad that it will never be me."

The group leader sympathetically smiled at Anna.

"You've come to right place Anna. A lot people here are feeling the same things you are and this is a place for you to talk about those feelings."

Anna looked around the circle of women, each smiling as if they could related to what she'd said.

"Thanks I could really use someone to talk to." She twisted the cap off the top of the water bottle and took a few sips to wash the rest of the cookie down.

"Please go on. It sounds like you have a lot on your mind." The other members of the group looked at Anna with eager eyes.

"Uhh...I'm just going to jump right in and be really frank here. I literally went from holding my wife while she cried her eyes out over something I forced her to do, to having her beg me to have rough sex with her the next morning. I mean it was primal. How in the hell does someone go from devastated to horny so quickly?"

Anna's voice was getting louder and her hands were flying about all over the place as made an endless flow of gestures. There was a small collected chuckle from the group.

"You're lucky. My partner won't even let me touch her. She doesn't even want to think about sex." Replied one of the members.

The group leader smiled and brought her attention back to Anna who was now feeling somewhat luckier knowing that her wife was at least begging her to touch her.

"Anna it's really common for women to have an increased sex drive at the beginning of the second trimester. For starters, there's a lot more blood flow throughout the body, allowing your wife to be much more response to any sort of arousal. Secondly, and I'm sure you've heard this a million times already, it's hormonal."

Anna continued. "Yeah but I can't find anything that tells me how to have sex with your pregnant wife when you're both woman. Like, I had no idea what to do...what not to do. And it's not like she was giving me anytime to think. I felt like a high school virgin flying by the seat of my pants or something."

The group leader continued to smile and nod and couldn't but laugh at how animated Anna was. It was as if each word had it's own unique facial express to go with it.

"I have some resources I can give you before you leave today that will help you with the lack of same-sex information. But let me just say that from your wife's point of view, this can be the best time of a woman's life to have sex. Woman who are pregnant can have longer, more intense orgasms and even multiple orgasms."

Anna's mouth fell open and she wasn't sure if she was more shocked or jealous.

"Holy cow, I guess I'd be begging for it too."

The group laughed in unison.

"You've made it through one of the hardest parts. Morning sickness is really trying on a woman, but the second trimester is the most pleasant. She'll start getting more energy and she's not big enough yet to feel physical pain or discomfort from the weight of the baby. And it sounds like she's very much into being affectionate with you and with some help and support, this could be a really great time for both of you."

The pinched look Anna had been wearing on her face melted into a relaxed smile. The crease between her brows smoothed out for the first time in weeks and she didn't feel as alone anymore.

* * *

Anna was in such a good mood she literally skipped up the driveway and swung open the front door like someone straight out of a musical, complete with a melodic, "I'm home!" Elsa was sprawled out on the couch in a pair of yoga pants and an oversized t-shirt surfing on her laptop.

"I'd ask how it went but I can tell from your need to burst into song that it went just fine."

Anna took off her jacket and set her things down before she continued to sashay her way over to Elsa, kissing her on her pillowy soft head.

"Yes, I learned sooooo much and it felt so good to get all that off my chest. Not that I had a lot on my chest, well I did but not because of you. Well...some you, not all."

_There_ was her adorable Anna. The rambling spunky redhead that had been taken over by stress and tension the past few weeks. Elsa did the only thing she could to stop Anna's rambling and she planted a juicy kiss on her lips mid sentence, stopping the redhead in her tracks as she pulled Anna in by her braids.

"Yes, we talked about _that_ too. You and your needs, shall we say."

Elsa cocked her head looking like a confused puppy.

"_My_ needs. You mean you don't have any of your own?" Giving Anna a smirk.

God it felt so good to have playful Elsa back, Anna thought to herself.

"I do but let's be honest, no one can keep up with you these days. I haven't seen you like this since Hawaii when you wouldn't let me leave the room for two days."

Elsa grinned at the memory of one of their first trips as a couple.

"Oh yeah I remember that. That was _fun_." Her grin became mischievous as Anna realized she had just added fuel to Elsa's fire.

"So...can we?"

Elsa was motioning with her head to the bedroom and rubbing little circles with her thumbs over Anna's braids as she them in her hands.

"You're like the energizer bunny. You're not even the least bit tired?" Elsa didn't break eye contact with Anna and tucked her chin down a bit lower.

"Un uh." She shook her head as the grin crept even higher up her angelic face.

"Okay fine but just once because I have papers to grade and I'm already behind from going to the group."

Elsa leapt off the couch and took Anna's hand in her own as she lead her to the staircase.

"Once is fine. Besides, you'll need your energy for tomorrow morning." Anna groaned as Elsa drug her lazily up the stairs like a bag full of sand.

"Ugh Elsa...there is no pleasing you." Elsa giggled as they reached to the top of the stairs and looked back at Anna as they made their way down the hall to the bedroom.

"Actually, I was thinking about pleasing you first missy."

* * *

**So sexy hormones have finally kicked in for Elsa, for those of you that had been hoping for that. There will be more sexcapades coming up. And I've been getting a lot of questions about how long the story will be and how much it will cover. Right now it looks like this thing will for sure go into the 20s, chapter wise, and I'm planning on writing a few chapters that focus on having a newborn, and maybe an epilogue. We'll see. Gender testing is coming up in a few chapters. Any guesses for boy or girl (I've already decided but I really want to hear what you think).**


	12. Chapter 12

**Fanfiction would not let me upload this last night. But it's here now. Smut warning! A big thanks to Hunhund for being the Beta on this!**

* * *

With a renewed burst of energy Elsa woke up early, enjoying the sight of a peacefully sleeping Anna as she sat on the edge of the bed tying her tennis shoes. A small trail of drool was pooling down from Anna's mouth and onto the pillow, accompanied by the sound of light snoring.

Elsa was prepped and ready for a leisurely morning walk around the neighborhood in her black workout capris and a dark purple running jacket, water bottle in hand as she lifted herself off the bed and headed towards the door. She stopped in the threshold of the doorway, turning her head back to get one more look at Anna who was sprawled out on her side of the bed like she was attempting to make snow angels in her sleep.

Elsa would all too often creep out early in the morning to have some much needed alone time to clear her mind and just enjoy some peace and quiet. But for some reason this time she couldn't bring herself leave Anna behind, even if she was sound asleep. She walked back to Anna and gently tapped her shoulder to rouse her, mission impossible but worth a shot.

"Hey, wake up." She whispered gently into Anna's ear. Anna's only response was some incoherent babbling as she pulled out a strand of copper hair that had been trapped in the corner of her mouth.

"I'm going for a walk. Do you want to come?" There was still no reply from the slumbering redhead.

"Okay you sleep. I'll be back later."

Somewhere in the midst of her dreaming Anna was able to catch a few words and slowly put it together in head that Elsa was leaving. "Naaa no. Don't go." Anna's eyes weren't even open and she was blindly trying to grab at Elsa with a drooping hand.

"Anna if you get up you can come and we can talk...if you want. About whatever is on your mind." As good as the idea of sleeping in with the entire king bed to herself sounded, having some quality time with Elsa was even more appealing. Plus, it involved exercise and after downing half a carton of ice cream the night before Anna figured it couldn't hurt.

"Alriiiight. I'm up." Anna said as she stretched her arms above her head and let out a drawn out yawn.

"Come on sleepy head. Go get dressed." Elsa gave Anna a quick kiss on her forehead.

Lucky for Elsa Anna didn't nearly take as long to get ready, for anything really. Elsa would prep for hours for events whereas Anna seemed to get ready in almost no time at all. Elsa just assumed it was due to the fact that Anna always seemed to have just a bit more energy and certain gusto for life. Soon enough they were headed arm in arm out the door and down the street, stopping at the corner to decide if they wanted to head towards the park or a nearby river walk. Knowing that there was a coffee shop at the end of the river walk, Anna ultimately won out and swung Elsa in that direction.

* * *

It was a perfect late winter morning; the air was crisp and cool but the sight of budding trees were pleasant reminders that spring was just around the corner. It was still too cold for poor Anna, who was wearing a down jacket and clinging to Elsa as a source of warmth.

"I love the fact that not only do you ever seem to not get cold but that being pregnant makes you even warmer. Seriously, you're like a fire, I could toast a marshmallow next to you."

Anna tried to talk through her chattering teeth as she felt a chilling sting on the backs of her reddening ears.

"You'll warm up as you walk. And if that doesn't work we'll get you some coffee that's hotter than the center of the sun."

Elsa put her arms around Anna and tried to warm her up by rubbing her briskly acrossAnna's side. After a few blocks Anna released Elsa's arm from her death grip and held Elsa's hand in her gloved one as they walked along.

"Um...so I wanted to ask you how the group was going. You've been a few times now, right?" Elsa couldn't ask about going to group without feeling a sense of shame, feeling like she was the main cause for Anna's need to go.

"Yeah three times now, I think. I really like it, everyone there always has great things to say and they're sooooooo understanding." Anna's face lit up as she talked and Elsa found herself caught in a swirl of mixed feelings.

Not only did she feel guilty for turning into a raging case of hormones and making life more miserable for Anna, but now she was getting comfort and sympathy from other people and not her. Not wanting to ruin Anna's newfound source of strength, she swallowed hard and put on the best happy face she could.

"That's great. I'm really happy that you're benefiting from it. Sounds like there's a lot of very understanding people there."

Anna rolled her eyes and gave Elsa a look of utter confusion.

"Did you just read that off a cue card or something? That sounded so forced."

Elsa eyes widened and her mouth dropped opened at the surprise of the insinuation, not that it was untrue.

"I know you better than that. You can't hide anything from me. You don't like me going to the group? Is that it?"

Anna wasn't even looking at where she walking and stared straight at Elsa, awaiting her reply. Tongue tied, Elsa couldn't think how to word what she was thinking without hurting Anna's feeling or belittling the group she found so enjoyable. "If you don't want me to go I..." Elsa cut her off.

"No, I want you to go." Elsa's tone didn't seem to match what she was saying at all and Anna stopped in the middle of the sidewalk.

"It doesn't sound like it. What did I do wrong?" Anna's face was beginning to contort with frustration. Elsa was now well aware that she was making her problem feel like Anna's problem. The same old pattern of arguing that had pushed Anna into having to go the group in the first place.

"Stop, no. You did absolutely nothing wrong. I do really want you to go. Clearly, you need it to put up with me." She took a deep breath and a small cloud of condensation formed when she exhaled. "It's me. I'm mad at myself for making you have to go there. And I'm mad that total strangers make you feel better and I don't."

Anna's frustration all but disappeared as soon as she saw Elsa bottom lip puff out into a pout. Even Elsa's pouty face was adorable. Anna lifted her gloved hand to stroke Elsa's flushed cheek.

"Hey don't forget that a lot of this is temporary. You're not going to be pregnant forever and who knows, you might start feeling better this trimester. As rough as the past month has been, it's still a small price to pay for what we're getting, remember?"

Her hand drifted down from Elsa's cheek and swept around the curve of Elsa's belly. "Look how beautiful this is." Glancing down to where her hand was caressing, knowing their baby was snuggled up inside. "Please don't be so hard on yourself."

Elsa's lips pursed into a tight line as she nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry." Linking her arm back around Anna's, they continued down the sidewalk.

"Speaking of baby, in a few weeks we have to go back to see Oaken for the anatomy scan and genetic testing. But they emailed me and asked me if we wanted to find out the baby's sex during the appointment. Which isn't something we've talked about."

"I don't want to find out." Anna said matter-of-factly. "You don't? W-why?" Anna didn't have to ask Elsa, she could tell from her reaction that she did want to find out. "Because Elsa, this is the biggest surprise you could have in your entire life." Elsa's eyes were darting back and forth as she tried to stomach what Anna was saying. She did in fact want to find out. Elsa was so type A that she needed to know these things in advanced. She wasn't as keen on surprises as Anna was.

"Surprise? It's a boy or a girl. A surprise would be like some third thing. For some reason I thought we'd be in agreement on this. Besides, you'll still have the surprise of finding out who the baby looks like."

Anna's pace was picking up which could only mean that she was not going to back down from her position. "Elsa, listen: you get to be pregnant and experience all that comes with it. Good or bad. I don't, so the least you could do is let me have this one thing. I want it to be a surprise."

"But Anna I wanted to plan out color schemes for the room and pick a name and...I don't know...plan." Poor Elsa found herself unable to hold a candle to Anna's feistiness. Nothing she said could be a better reason that what Anna had already stated.

"There are plenty of neutral color schemes. And you're a brilliant designer. I'm sure you'll think of something." Anna gloatingly patted Elsa on the back.

"Fine. I'll make it work."

Elsa gritted her teeth as the visions of the perfect boy and girl rooms faded from her mind. The only thing that helped calmed her was that Anna had been entirely correct when she said she didn't get to experience being pregnant. And of course, how could she not give Anna whatever she wanted to try and make up for that fact. She did know somewhere in the back of her mind that all of this must be difficult for Anna deal with, watching Elsa experience something Anna had looked forward to her entire life. But it was the first time Elsa really started to reflect on that.

"Anna, you know I wish it could have been you." Her words were quiet.

"I know that." Anna looked at Elsa and gave her a small smile. "But at the same time, you can't deny that you actually like being pregnant. Don't let the fact that I can't take away from your enjoyment." Elsa's tried to smile but her lips pressed back into a line instead.

"Oh God finally, coffee." Anna released Elsa's hand and hurried into the coffee shop. By the time Elsa caught up to her Anna was already rattling off her order. Anna was the only person Elsa had ever known to order a latte with whipped cream on top in addition to foam.

"Elsa what are you having?" Elsa looked like deer caught in the headlights. It had been months since she'd even stepped foot in a coffee shop, being that all caffeine was now off limits.

"I don't even know if there's anything I can get." Her eyes were frantically scanning the menu, nothing of which said decaf.

"What can she have that doesn't have caffeine?" Anna said to the barista, coming to Elsa's rescue.

"We can make anything decaf." The barista replied as Elsa furrowed her brows.

"Sorry. She's a little picky but it's because she's pregnant." Anna couldn't help but be just a little embarrassed.

"Gotcha." The barista winked back at Anna. "We have a number of different teas that are naturally caffeine free, as well as our hot apple cider."

The sound of sweet spicy goodness was enough to elicit a gasp from Elsa. "Yes, that. Hot apple cider sounds really good."

"Great and what was the name on that?" The barista readied his pen against a cup.

Anna chimed in first. "Natasha."

It was the small things in life that gave Anna pleasure and for some reason nothing was more fun than giving baristas fictitious names. To Anna, it was like taking on a secret identity and pretending she was someone else for a brief moment.

"And the cider is for Elsa." The blonde said rather bluntly.

The two sat down at a small round table near the window. "Natasha? What are we Russian today?" Elsa chuckled.

"I was watching Sex and the City reruns last night and Big's wife Natasha was in one of them."

"Ah, I see." Elsa replied, Anna sure knew how to keep life interesting.

"What day do you go see Dr. Bjorgman again?" Anna tried to steer the conversation into a more serious direction for once.

"Tuesday at one. Remember when I told you and you said you couldn't come because of testing."

Anna squinted her eyes as she tried to recall the conversation. "Oh that's right. But you're just going in to check on the placenta, not a whole check-up right?"

"Right. It better be nice and high because I really don't want to be confined to a bed for three days." Her eyes rolled at the thought of being confined with little to no entertainment.

"Yeesh, that would be so boring. Someone in group said that this is around the time you can start to feel the baby move. Have you felt anything yet?"

Elsa looked at Anna with a puzzle look. "No, and if I had don't you think I would have told the second it happened silly?"

"Well obviously. I guess I just meant have you felt anything different?"

Elsa crossed her arms in front of her chest, taking a moment to think. "Not really. I keep waiting for something to happen but it's usually just my stomach growling or something. I want to feel it so badly."

Anna was grinning like a fool just thinking about feeling that first little kick against her hand, but was brought back to Earth by the barista's booming voice.

"Natasha and Elsa!" Neither one could figure out why they were yelling out their names when they were the only people in there.

"That would be you, Natasha." Elsa smirked and gave Anna a light pat on her rear as she walked by Elsa to get their drinks. Anna returned rather quickly and Elsa almost wondered if there was something wrong.

"Look what it says on your cup." Anna turned removed the sleeve of the cup and turned it towards Elsa's.

"'For the new mom to be, Elsa'. Aww that's so sweet." Elsa turned and waved at the barista, mouthing the words thank you. "Wait, how did he know?"

"I told him. Someone had to explain why you were about to have a panic attack over what to order." Anna teasingly stuck out her tongue before sipping on her scolding hot beverage.

"Well, thanks for looking out for me Natasha." Darting her tongue back at Anna.

They sat and chatted for a while but mostly just listened to the jazz music blaring from the overhead speakers, enjoying their drinks. Finishing off her drink with one last swig, Anna helped Elsa out of her chair and they headed back down the river walk and towards home.

Just a few blocks shy of their house, Anna noticed Elsa was starting to get really smiley and...flirty. They weren't talking and a game of eye glancing had begun. As soon as Anna would try to catch Elsa's steeling blue eyes leering at her they would dart away. Their little game continued until they came to a crosswalk and Anna demanded to know what was going on.

"What is with you? You're all googly eyed." No sooner did Anna finish her sentence did Elsa abruptly push Anna up against the light post, grabbing her by the collar of her jacket and locking their lips in a deep kiss. When Elsa pulled away Anna had to gasp for air.

"Elsa we're outside! People we know could see us!"

Making the blonde aware that their display of affection was public only seemed to turn her on more. "I don't care. Let them see." She mewled as she slipped her tongue back in between Anna's resistant lips.

"Our neighbors, people we live next to could see us."

"Well, then they'll know we have a healthy and happy marriage." Elsa giggled this time leaning back in to continue assaulting Anna with her lips.

"Oh my goodness let's just get you home, in a hurry." The crosswalk sign changed and they scurried home as quickly as they could.

When they walked in the door clothes immediately started to fly everywhere. Anna knew they weren't even going to make it to the bedroom; she was barely lucky enough to get her horny little wife back in the house.

At least she was feeling more in control of the situation, armed with the knowledge she gained from group and the various websites they recommended. She was more than ready to take on Elsa's insatiable appetite, no longer afraid of what not to do; she'd taken the leader's advice and decided she was going to enjoy what could be the best sex of their lives, well at least Elsa's.

With the extra caffeine boost from her latte still coursing through her body, Anna was able to get her clothes off first and look around for the nearest possible place to make this escapade happen. Elsa was struggling to get her bright blue sports bra off but managed to slip it over her shoulder and sling shot it off in a way that made Anna's head whip around to watch it fly over the couch.

"Come here."

Anna motioned for Elsa to follow her and led her by the hand into the kitchen. Both completely naked, Elsa tiptoed behind having no idea what Anna was up to but was dying to find out.

The kitchen was laid out in a large square design, bordered by wide dark grey granite counter tops with an island in the center. Anna originally thought the island would be a great place but the hanging pots and pans overhead would be in the way. Instead she backed Elsa up against the side of the counter and released Elsa's hair from her braid. If Elsa needed sex, Anna needed Elsa's hair. It was that simple.

"Sit up on the edge." Anna whispered. Elsa put her hands on the lip of the smooth granite and let Anna help lift her up onto the counter. Anna placed her hands on Elsa's knees and parted them, making room for herself as she grabbed hold of Elsa's rear and pressed her body up against Anna's freckled torso.

Elsa's eyes were wide, eagerly waiting for Anna's next move. She'd been so impressed up to this point, and it was clear to her that Anna had been doing her homework.

"Just relax and lean back on your hands if you need the extra support." Silenced by anticipation, Elsa nodded just once. Anna slowly leaned in and placed her hand on Elsa's neck, just behind her ear, and captured her pouty lower lip in a kiss that was the first of a series of deeper and lengthier ones. Elsa was moaning up a storm that was like music to Anna's ears, she placed both of her hands on Elsa's lower stomach and let them roam up to Elsa's supple breasts.

"Sensitive?" Anna whispered quickly before returning to their kissing.

Sex may have felt better for Elsa but Anna's hands were screaming with joy at the fullness of each breast. She was beginning to understand more and more just what the heck John Mayer was talking about when he said, "your body is a wonderland."

Everything was made better by how badly Elsa craved Anna's touch, and it made Anna feel so good to be needed in such a way. Ghosting her hand down Elsa's shivering body, she spread her fingers and let her hands rest on the sides of Elsa's swollen belly. Somehow Anna was now able to take pleasure in the beauty of her wife's pregnant body and not let herself get distracted by the idea of a small someone listening in on them.

Anna grabbed a hand towel from the sink behind her and laid it on the floor, kneeling down so that she was eye level with Elsa's glistening heat. Elsa instinctively scooted closer to the edge of the counter and placed her hands behind her as Anna had suggested, bracing herself for what she knew all too well was coming next. Anna licked her lips and softly kissed the welcoming warmth between Elsa's thighs.

The shuttering sensation of soft licks and kisses caused Elsa to arch her back and jut her hips forward with a sharp thrust. Normally Anna was a patient lover and liked to take her time tasting her beloved wife, but Elsa would have none of that. When her hormones kicked in it was a race to the finish line. Quickening her pace, Anna made a few sizzling circles around Elsa's entrance and thrust a flexed tongue into her wetness.

"Nghaa...Anna!" Elsa's exasperations were bordering on screaming. If she wasn't breathing so hard she would have been.

As Anna plunged two fingers into Elsa's core, Elsa began rhythmically thrusting into Anna's hand. A blonde curtain of wavy hair was bouncing off her back as she arched even more, tilting her head back to let out a rather guttural moan as Anna sucked on her sensitive and throbbing bundle.

Being the competitive person she was, Anna had made it a secret mission of hers to try and get Elsa to reach the promised land of multiple orgasms ever since she'd heard about it in group. She knew the first one was on the horizon when she looked up at Elsa's writhing body only to hear her whimpers increasing in pitch.

"Uh God...Anna!" The sweet freedom of numbing pleasure erupted with a burst so great it made Elsa's feet slam into the lower cabinet when her body quaked from exultation.

Anna smirked with satisfaction. _One down. One to go_. When her eyes finally unscrewed themselves, Elsa was a little taken aback to see Anna still down there working away.

"W-what are doing?" Elsa asked nearly out of breath.

"Trying something. Just go with it." Anna slowed her ministrations and stood back up, leaning her head forward to cover Elsa's left nipple with her mouth to suckle gently.

She knew Elsa would go off like a firecracker without much effort the first time, so Anna saved some of her little tricks to entice a second one. Keeping things slow, she kissed her way up to the pulse point of Elsa's neck, licking and kissing the thin sheen of sweat that glazed her glowing skin. Anna raked her fingernails up Elsa's back and tangled her fingers into her hair, giving it a tug.

Anna worked her fingers faster and ran her tongue over the ridge of Elsa's chiseled collar bone, biting and nibbling along the way. Still light headed from the previous rush, Elsa let her eyes close as the return of the white hot heat built within her. Confused and yet utterly amazed at the same time, Elsa couldn't believe her body was revving itself for what felt like an even stronger orgasm than the first. The faster Anna's fingers moved and twisted the stronger the buildup became, so overwhelming that Anna had to remind Elsa to breathe after she'd held her breath for far too long. Anna's face beamed as she could see the finish line in sight, and quickly returned to a kneeling position to suckle at Elsa's clit. Elsa was crying out so loud Anna was sure their neighbors were going to hear. In a flash Elsa curled her body and clutched Anna's fiery red hair as she relished in euphoria once again. Anna was positively elated and pulled away from Elsa once she started to come down from her high, laughing in triumph. _Yes!_ Anna felt like she'd just won a gold medal in the sex Olympics.

Meanwhile Elsa was wilting in exhaustion and had wrapped her arms around Anna's neck to keep from toppling over.

"That looked amazing! I even feel amazing. How did it feel?" Anna asked excitedly. Elsa was too busy trying to catch her breath, speaking wasn't something she was capable of at the moment. She took Anna's face between her hands and gave her a weak but passionate kiss.

"Oh God how I love you."

* * *

"I'm sorry Elsa, it's moved up but not where I'd like it to be." Dr. Bjorgman was prodding just under the swell of Elsa's belly. She had been on her elbows but flopped back down against the table and pressed her fingertips against her forehead.

"No! Ugh...now what? Bed rest?" Her fingers were now aggressively running through her hair.

"Yep. Sorry. Three days. That means no getting out of bed for any reason except to use the bathroom and no doing anything strenuous from bed, like work...or sex. Giving or receiving." He laid a keen eye on Elsa, knowing all too well what she was plotting.

"I can't even answer emails?" Her voice becoming more and more desperate.

"Not from work no. Nothing _strenuous_." He put a special emphasis on the word this time. "You told your work right? So it shouldn't be a problem. Remember, you and baby come first. Not work." His words were strict but coated in kindness. "I'll see you again on Friday and see if you've made any progress."

"Starting now?" Elsa clarified.

"Yes starting right now. Call work when you get home. I'll write a note or give them a call if they need further explanation."

* * *

As soon as she got home from Dr. Bjorgman's office she dragged herself up the stairs and changed into some pajama bottoms and a tank top before climbing into bed and pulling up the covers._ Two o'clock and I'm in bed. I'm bored already._

They didn't have a TV in their bedroom because she made Anna get rid of it years ago when she developed a habit of staying up to catch Conan O'Brien and causing Elsa to toss and turn as she tried to sleep with the infernal thing blasting away. With her phone the only thing within reaching distance she decided to text Anna and fill her in on the situation.

After a short cat nap and hours of surfing on her phone Elsa finally heard Anna come through the front door.

"I'm here! I've come to rescue you from your boredom!" Elsa could hear the sound of Anna's feet stomping furiously up the stairs before bursting into the bedroom. "Okay. I have everything you need to survive the next three days!" Anna was holding half a dozen grocery bags and had Elsa's laptop and charger tucked under her arm.

"What did you do? Is there anything left at the store?" Elsa said jokingly.

"Let's start with reading material. I got one of every magazine you like, even the trashy tabloid ones. Just because you're stuck in bed doesn't mean you can't catchup on the latest celebrity gossip and fashion trends. I also got a bunch of baby and parenting magazines cause...ya know. For obvious reasons." Anna pulled out the stack of magazines and set them on Elsa's night stand. "And I didn't know what kind of a reading mood you were in so I got you _50 Shades of Grey_ and _Bossy Pants_ by Tina Fey. You said nothing strenuous so I stayed away from your normal drama and biography picks. Sorry." Elsa flipped through books and laughed to herself at Anna's idea of a good read. "What else is there?"

Anna dug deep into one of the bags. "I also got some fun stuff. Here try this." She tossed Elsa what looked to be some sort of children's toy.

"What is this?" Elsa held the thing in her hand.

"It's a paddle ball. You hit the ball with the paddle and it snaps back and you just keep doing it." Anna gave the blonde a demonstration and whacked the ball over and over like a pro. "Try it. I know you didn't have this stuff growing up but I know you inner child is dying to play with all of it." Anna had a wild look of enthusiasm in her eyes.

Elsa picked up the paddle and tried to emulate Anna's perfect demonstration but couldn't get the ball to make contact with the paddle. "I've failed at a children's toy." Looking at Anna dejectedly.

"Well you have plenty of time to have practice don't you? There's a whole bag of toys and stuff. I'll just let you be surprised as you go through it later." Anna set the bag next to bed and pulled out on last item.

"Oh, and I almost forgot. I got you a book of the world's best baby names. It was the thickest name book they had so I thought it would have the biggest selection."

Elsa took the book from Anna and stared at the cover. "So I guess I make a list for boys and another on for girls?"

"Exactly. I know it's super early to start thinking about that but I thought it might be really entertaining." Elsa leaned in and kissed Anna. "You're too good to me. Thank you. I should have enough to make it through the next hour, at least."

"Well pace yourself. I'm going to go get dinner started. You enjoy!"

* * *

The next two days felt like the longest of Elsa's whole life. Being forbidden to get out of bed only made her want to even more. She looked outside at the bright blue sky and a smattering of trees off in the distance. It's was as if they were taunting her with a freedom she wasn't allowed to enjoy.

By the end of the first day she'd read all the magazine, played with all the silly toys, and read the first half of _Bossy Pants_. She wanted to read _50 Shades of Grey_ but was afraid it would arouse her and only tempt her to submit to her to hormones.

It wasn't until the second day that she started to flip through the baby name book and highlight some of the one's she liked. She quickly learned that she seemed to have preferences for names that started with certain letters. There were a lot of names she liked but found the task exceedingly daunting knowing that this was going to be someone's name for the rest of their life. It was such a huge commitment that she couldn't find any names that seemed worthy.

_Arendelle. _

_Arendelle. _

She kept pairing each name with their last name, trying each one out. It was hard to repeat Arendelle so many times without hearing "you were never" in front of it at least once. When she and Anna had decided to get married, legally, she was thrilled that she could finally shed the name that carried so much baggage. But as usual, Anna put up a huge fuss because she wanted to take Elsa's. She'd never really been fond of the sound of her own last name and felt that Arendelle was an upgrade. Besides, she wanted to feel like she belonged to someone after the death of her parents.

Suddenly picking out names was feeling like it was becoming strenuous and so she decided to put to the book down and get some rest. Sleeping was becoming increasingly difficult. Elsa's preferred to sleep on her stomach but that was no longer an option. More and more pillows were added to the help her find the comfort she sought. A pillow between her legs, another behind her back. She swore to herself that as soon as she was freed from bed-rest she'd get to the baby store and buy one of those elaborate pregnancy pillows.

* * *

At long last Friday came and Elsa was chomping at the bit to get out of the house and off to Dr. Bjorgman's. It felt so good to be upright and using her body again. She even left all the windows in her car down as zoomed down the freeway, fresh air whirling through her lustrous locks.

Again she found herself in the herself in the all too familiar position, flat on her back pressed against the examining table watching Dr. Bjorgman poke and prod at her abdomen. She couldn't help but notice that he was sporting stubble today, making him look even more like a man of the mountain than medicine. All around his office there were pictures of him hiking and climbing various mountains with his black lab Sven. The only thing in the room that indicated he was a man of medicine was the diplomas on the wall and his ever present stethoscope that hung around his neck.

_Please be high. Please be high. _

"You look a little nervous." Dr. Bjorgman voice shook Elsa from her thoughts.

"I just don't want have to back to that room. I can't believe some women have to endure weeks or even months of bed-rest. It was so boring. Please tell me it's high."

"Well it's definitely moved up. We'll have to wait until next week's anatomy scan to cross check it, but for now I think you're safe to resume life as normal." His big brown eyes crinkled as he gave her a reassuring smile.

"Oh thank God. I've never been so happy to go back to work." Elsa clutched her hands and brought them near her heart, ever so thankful to return to her life.

"So next week will be the anatomy scan and genetic testing. It will also be the time you can find out the sex of the baby. Oaken said he emailed you about that. Did you guys talk and come to a decision?"

Elsa rolled her eyes and she sat up and pulled her shirt back over her stomach. "Yes. Anna doesn't want to find out so we're not going to." Her words tainted with disappointment.

"Alright, well...here are your pamphlets on the genetic tests and I guess I'll see you in a few weeks. And hopefully Anna next time too."

Elsa hopped of the table and grabbed the pamphlets, looking like someone had taken the wind out her sails. "Thanks. See you in a few weeks."

As the door shut behind her she couldn't help but feel a sense of sorrow about not finding out the gender. Yes she wanted to decorate and do all the other things new mom's get excited over. But more important to her was getting to know more about the little person inside her. She hadn't even felt so much as kick and was yearning to know more. She knew she had to push her thoughts aside so that Anna could have her wish. It was the only thing she'd ask for and Elsa couldn't take that from her.

* * *

"So you can go back to work on Monday?" Anna was busy in the kitchen making spaghetti and garlic bread as Elsa watched from a stool on the other side of the counter.

"Yes and I couldn't be more thrilled. Two days was punishment enough." Anna poured a box of noodles into a giant pot of boiling water, spilling half the noodles over the side of the pot and onto the floor.

"Whoops." She quickly began picking up the tiny strands of noodles off the floor. "And don't put those back in the pot. Don't think that I don't know that you do that." Elsa leaned over the counter, making sure Anna heard her.

"What, me? I would _never _do such a thing." Anna was certainly the queen of sarcasm. She was so into making facial expressions that she hadn't noticed Elsa's face had blanched and she had a hand pressed to her belly with the most serious expression on her face.

"What's wrong? Is something wrong?" Worried Anna dropped the spaghetti in her hands and rushed over to Elsa's side. Her expression was still flat and it was causing Anna to go from worried to panicked when a burst of laughter escaped from Elsa.

"Oh my God. The baby has the hiccups." Her eyes shot open so wide her eyebrows were almost one with her hairline. It had taken her a minute to figure out what the strange twitching feeling coming from within was. At first she thought it was just a muscle but figured it was the baby when she felt a small jostling feeling after each twitch.

"Let me feel!" Anna was so excited she nearly screamed as she pushed Elsa's hand away.

"Here, it's down here." Elsa placed her hand on top of Anna's and laid it over the area where the feeling was the strongest. Of course once Anna put her hand there nothing happened.

"Just wait. It'll do it again." Both of their mouths were wide open as the eyes locked on Anna's hand. Suddenly Anna felt tiny bouncing movement against her hand that seemed to echo throughout Elsa's belly.

"Ahhh I felt it! Oh my gosh! That was amazing. Do it again baby." It didn't take long before Anna felt it again and she didn't know whether to scream in excitement or cry. She felt like doing both at the same time. "What does it feel like for you?" Anna asked with a gleam in her teal eyes.

"It feels like the hiccup is so strong it jolts its whole body or something because I can feel the whole thing moving each time. Amazing huh?" The expression on Elsa's face was one of pure joy. She looked the most happy and relaxed she'd been in months.

"This is the best thing ever. I don't think I can move my hand for the rest of the night." Anna continued to feel the little movements beneath her hand while Elsa held Anna closer to her.

Dinner burnt that night but neither of them cared. There was now something more important in life to focus on. Anna spent the rest of the night spooned up against Elsa with her hand still in the same spot, waiting for the next bout of hiccups or that first big kick.

* * *

**Much more to come concerning the gender in the next two chapters! Twists and turns lie ahead.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Just wanted to mention that Elsa's parents' names appear in this chapter. If they sound a little weird it's because they are their canon names (or versions of them) that appear on the hedge stones in old Norse. Once again, a big thanks to HunHund for being my beta!**

* * *

Waiting for the anatomy scan had felt like an eternity. Over the past week Anna tried to distract herself with a science fair she was helping put together at her school. Elsa on the other hand had also tried to throw herself into work; spending hours hunched over her double screen computer, diligently putting together design sketches for her Dubai project.

Both were excited to get to see the baby on screen again but Elsa was extremely nervous about the testing they were going to do. Dr. Bjorgman had given her a number of pamphlets on genetic testing, primarily on Down's syndrome and other chromosomal abnormalities, and she was to choose one of the three available tests. After hours of research and discussion with Anna, who had no idea whatsoever how to pick one test over the other, Elsa decided on a sequential screening that involved an ultrasound followed by two separate blood tests that would identify any problems. The ultrasound would check the thickness of the baby's spinal cord just behind its neck to determine the probability of a genetic abnormality.

It was all Elsa could do to keep her mind from running away from her and thinking about all of the things that could possibly go wrong. One tiny thought lead to another and would cause a chain reaction that made her feel like she was going to drive herself mad with worry. Sometimes she wondered how people even managed to have healthy babies at all, with all the precautions and testing she felt like a lot of the pregnancy had been about dodging bullets.

The night before the ultrasound, Anna had just finished putting together a judging rubric for the science fair when she began to meander through the house in search of Elsa. She stumbled upon the blonde in one of the rooms she used as a design studio and home office. The floor to ceiling bookcases were filled with books on everything from art and history to geometry and materials science. It was her place to create and test ideas out but it most often ended up providing a place to work from home on those grueling late nights before a deadline. Anna watched Elsa as she sat at an old architect's table, feverishly working her pencil and ruler to create tiny intricate lines on the massive structure she'd drawn. The sides of her fingertips were smudged with graphite and her eyes were straining to focus on every meticulous detail.

"You must _really_ be anxious if you're using a pencil instead of stylus." Anna's voice jolted Elsa out of her trance as her eyes shot to where the redhead was standing in the doorway. She couldn't help but notice how cute Anna looked in with her hair done up in a braided bun.

"My eyes couldn't take another minute of staring at that screen. Pencil and paper feels more organic sometimes." She set the pencil and ruler aside as she swept the away the bits of eraser and pencil shavings off the desk, scooping them into her hands before tossing them into the wastebasket.

"I couldn't get tomorrow off my mind and I think I ended up overworking the rubric. We should take a break and get ready for bed soon. Put ourselves out of our misery." Anna extended her hand and helped Elsa up, taking a moment to admire the sketch.

"Wow this is amazing. I could never some come up with something like that. Your talent is so incredible." Anna's eyes traced the lines of the slender sky rise that looked like something out of a science fiction movie. It was conical is shape but twisted and turned as it narrowed towards the top of the structure. "This is a real building?" Anna's brows slanted questioningly as she leaned over the table to get a better look.

"Here I'll explain it." Elsa wrapped herself around Anna and nuzzled her chin into the redhead's shoulder as she reflected on her creation. "This particular building is one of four that will be called the Dubai Towers. Each tower is supposed to represent the flames of a candle that spark imagination."

Anna narrowed her eyes and stared perplexed at the twisted tower.

"Whoa and you came up with that?" Anna rarely got to see Elsa's work in the making, as she was usually too busy to stop and explain every single project. But this was one of those special moments where she got to see just how gifted Elsa really was. Sometimes Elsa even found herself in awe of her own work, but nothing made her beam with pride more than sharing it with Anna.

"Yeah. The clients said they wanted something iconic. It sits right on the waterline and I was thinking about how the buildings should be like a beacon in the night, like a modern version of a lighthouse or something." Elsa was always so humble and modest whenever someone complimented her work. Her smile would stretch for days and her eyes would glimmer and flutter as she spoke.

Pulling herself away from the table, Anna turned and let her arms wrap around Elsa's waist as she tightened their embrace. "You're amazing, you know that?" Anna pressed her forehead against Elsa's, placing the lightest wisp of a kiss on her nose.

"With you I am." She said as she tickled Anna's nose with Eskimo kisses, their upper lips brushing ever so slightly together. A hum escaped from Anna and they shared a few small sweet kisses. "We should get ready for bed. All three of us have a big day tomorrow."

After getting ready for bed Elsa curled into her new pregnancy pillow and was soon followed by Anna who spooned up beside her. "How do you like your new pillow?" Anna said as she placed a hand on the side of Elsa's belly.

"It's heavenly. It makes a _huge_ difference." The small circles Anna was rubbing on her belly made her heart feel like it was glowing. It always made her feel so good when Anna got to have some time with the baby, even if it was from a distance.

"Any kicks?" Anna asked, hoping to catch another feel and that precious foot against her hand.

"No. Everything is pretty quiet right now." Elsa's hand met Anna's under the covers and held it against her belly. There was something so wonderful about the feeling of her loving wife cocooned on one side of her and the baby on the other. As if she was smothered by love from all angles.

It felt right.

* * *

The sound of water running through the pipes caught Anna's attention as she finished pouring a freshly brewed pot of coffee into her tumbler, noting that Elsa must have finally made it into the shower. With her coffee in hand she made herself comfortable on the couch as she waited for Elsa to finish getting ready, flipping through some of the paperwork Oaken had asked them to fill out and bring in during their appointment. Anna quickly filled in the section on ethic origin and family health history, glancing at Elsa's answers and she scribbled in her own. _Born Bergen, Norway, Parents Agdar and Idun Arendelle. _

_Weird I thought she was born in Oslo. The mystery continues. _

That was the first times she'd even seem Elsa's parents' names in print since they got married. Faceless strangers who she barely knew anything about, except that she loved their daughter. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, Anna decided to drudge back upstairs and check on Elsa.

_Poor thing is probably so nervous she can't even focus on getting ready._

As she neared the bathroom Anna could see steam billowing out from the top of the bathroom door. Elsa's had been in there for almost twenty minutes, so it made sense that she'd turned the bathroom into her own personal steam room by now. As Anna crept closer, soft moaning could be heard over the roaring sound of the shower. Not sure whether she should be worried or aroused, Anna tore back the shower curtain with such force that it sent Elsa flying back against the slick tiles of the wall in fright.

"What are you... were you...?" Anna's eyes looked Elsa over as water streamed down every curve of her glistening body.

"Anna God. You scared me half to death." Elsa panted as a coy smile curled up the side of Anna's mouth.

"Y-you were masturbating." She laughed as Elsa flushed with embarrassment at the thought of being caught red handed in the most intimate of moments.

"No I wasn't." Her head shook as Anna erupted into a laughter so great she bent over at the waist and clutched her stomach.

"You totally were masturbating Elsa. It's completely fine. I just wasn't expecting it is all." She continued to laugh, finding Elsa's embarrassment utterly adorable.

"Okay so I was. I thought it would help relax me." The redness continued to spread like a wild fire across Elsa's face. No matter how long they'd been married, interrupting private time still made Elsa uncomfortable and a little embarrassed.

"I'd jump in there and help you with that but we're going to be late. So could you please finish…getting ready I mean." Anna fell to the floor as her laughter finally robbed her of the ability to stand any longer as Elsa dramatically pulled the shower curtain shut.

* * *

This time when they went to the ultrasound clinic they were feeling like old pros. They knew the routine and Anna had the DVD ready in hand as she anxiously sat on the edge of her seat. Elsa made sure to wear pants she didn't care about getting jelly on and brought an extra pair to change into before she went to work.

"I think this might be the best ultrasound yet. The baby is so big you can probably tell that it's an _actual_ baby this time." Anna nervously tapped the DVD case against her hand.

"Yeah I watched a few videos on the internet and this one should be really exciting. Just remember to cover your eyes when he does the gender part." Giving Anna a smirk over the top of her magazine.

"I won't forget. It was my idea, remember? So _you_ should remember to keep _your _eyes shut." Anna's eyes popped open wider as she emphasized her words.

"Arendelle." A woman in light pink scrubs called out as Anna shot up like a rocket from her chair. "Here we go again." Elsa trailed behind Anna, unable to keep up with the feisty redhead who was practically skipping down the halls of the clinic.

Everything was much bigger and much clearer this time. Oaken was doing the anatomy scan that took about 20 minutes where he took various measurements and looked for all sorts of other things that neither of them were familiar with. The only time Elsa got a little nervous was when he measured the spinal cord within the baby's tiny and fragile vertebrae. Anna looked down at Elsa's chest and could see her heart beating through her shirt.

_Be thin...be thin...be thin._

"It looks really thin. Nothing that I'd be worried about at all." Oaken gave a reassuring thumbs up from behind his computer screen.

_Whew! _

Oaken worked quickly and didn't have time to explain much as they had a lot to get through. Anna and Elsa just oh'd and aw'd to each other every time they saw a feature they recognized. They saw the baby's tiny and outstretched foot against the upper part of Elsa's uterus.

"It's weird that it's pushing but I can't feel it. This is like having a hidden camera in my body." Elsa smiled as she watched their baby repeatedly push its foot and arch its back like it was clamoring for more space.

They also saw the tiny string of pearls that made up the baby's spine. The baby arched and rolled several times and it sent the two over the edge with cuteness. Oaken couldn't help but smile as they pointed and squealed over the baby's every move. Oaken showed them a shot of the baby's profile and they could see the outline of a perfect button nose and prominent chin. Both of them were trying to see if they could tell who the baby looked more like, but it was still too early to tell.

"Look, look, look! That's the heart!" Anna jumped up and down as she pointed to the flickering motion towards the center of the baby's chest.

"And you thought that tower I made was amazing. Look at what my body made without any direction." Elsa looked on in amazement at the very essence of life that was cradled between their baby's ribcage.

The best part came when Oaken switched to the 3D ultrasound. Gasps filled the room as screen switched from the usual grainy black and white image to various shades of orange, revealing the baby who was laying its back opening and closing its mouth.

"Awwww it's yawning." Anna clasped her hands in front of her chest.

"Actually, what baby is doing is swallowing amniotic fluid. It gives the body a chance to practice digesting." Oaken explained. Elsa was so overcome by the moment that she had to cover mouth her hand, for fear her emotions might get the best of her.

"Okay I have to do determine the gender now so if you want to cover your eyes." Oaken gestured for them to do as he suggested.

"Hands up blondie, no peeking." Anna demanded.

With nothing to see they listened to the sound of Oaken's mouse clicking at his computer. Oaken was having a difficult time getting the right angle and blurted out "okay" when he finally got the angle he needed. Eager to take her hands off her eyes Anna took that as the signal to remove her them. Once she did she looked at the screen only to see the baby in a perfect position to see the gender.

_Oh shit I did not just see that. _

Anna quickly looked at Elsa to see if she had made the same mistake but to her chagrin she still had her eyes covered like the good girl she was. Oaken was looking at his computer monitor and missed the whole thing.

_Just put your hands back up and act like it didn't happen._

After a few more minutes Oaken advised that the gender assessment was over and that they could remove their hands from their eyes.

"Oh man Anna that was hard. I didn't think I was going to make it." Elsa blinked a few times as her eyes readjusted to the lights.

"Yeah me neither." Anna's voice was a little shaky and even cracked.

At the end of the ultrasound Oaken printed out there photos and burned the session to the DVD. The elevator ride down to the parking level was extremely awkward for Anna. Now that she had seen the baby's gender she didn't know if she should tell Elsa. It was her that didn't want to find out in the first place and here she had blown it after convincing Elsa not to find out_. What's the alternative? Not tell her and act surprised when the baby is born?_ Anna didn't realize that her face was twisting and scrunching as she battled the thoughts flooding her mind.

"What's the matter? You look deep in thought." Elsa brushed her hand against Anna's slender arm, trying to pull her out of her thoughts.

"Huh...oh nothing, I was just...processing everything I guess." The elevator dinged and they headed for their cars.

"I parked over here."

"I'm over there." Anna pointed in the opposite direction.

"Okay well I guess I'll see you after work." She gave Anna a hug, giving her an extra tight squeeze before releasing her.

"Yeah I'll see you later." Anna was still in a despondent fog.

"Um...I love you." Looking back over her shoulder as she started to walk away, curious as to why Anna wasn't responding.

"Oh yeah. I love you too." And she gave Elsa a quick kiss before walking to her car.

_That was strange. _

Their goodbyes were usually much better than that. Especially since they had just watched their baby on screen for more than an hour.

_Maybe it had something to do with the ultrasound. Or me. _

Elsa started to wonder if seeing the baby had brought back old feelings of discomfort for Anna. This ultrasound _had _been much more vivid and realistic than any of the previous ones. She paused and fiddled with her keys trying to figure out what could have caused Anna's demeanor to suddenly change.

* * *

Later that night after dinner Elsa decided to put her theory to the test and see if Anna was put off by her advances. If she made the move and Anna didn't respond then she would know.

Anna was curled up on the couch in one of their spare rooms they'd made over into a reading room. Elsa designed the house so of course it would have a living space dedicated just to reading. Anna was hoping to lose herself in one of the parenting books they bought. After finishing up with the dishes Elsa decided to make her move.

"What are you reading?" Anna didn't even look up from her book when she heard Elsa's voice.

"Something about parenting the natural way." She desperately tried to avoid eye contact for fear her eyes would show that she was indeed hiding something. Had she bothered to look up she would have seen that Elsa had already begun to unbutton her silky navy colored blouse, revealing a small area of radiant skin just above her breasts. She knelt down on the couch and perched herself on her hands and knees as she made her way over to Anna.

"Feel like putting your bookmark in?" Elsa now had her face in the crook of Anna's neck and was whispering into her ear.

"Oh my God Elsa! You scared me." Anna jumped off the couch and took a few steps away.

"Why are you so jumpy?"

"I'm not _jumpy. _I just didn't expect you to be all up on me while I was reading."

Elsa had retreated to her side of the couch and couldn't help but feel hurt by Anna's tone.

"Oh my God I knew it." Elsa glanced up at the ceiling in disbelief.

"You knew what?"

"You can't stand to have me touch you anymore. Or to touch me for that matter."

"Wait what?" Anna blinked and stared at her wife.

"It's because I'm showing more now isn't it? Seeing the baby today made you get creeped out again didn't it? I was afraid this would happen."

"Elsa what are you talking about? You think I don't want to touch you because you're showing?" Anna's voice was climbing higher and higher.

"Well isn't it?"

"That ridiculous! Most of the time I'm trying to keep my hands off you and you know that. I worked through all that. Whatever made you think this crazy story you have going in your head?"

"Well today when we were leaving the clinic. I said I loved you and you kind of ignored me. And then gave the quickest kiss ever." Elsa's cool blue eyes were welling up with tears.

"Wait, stop. That's not what was going on. I had something else on my mind but I swear it had nothing to with not wanting to kiss you or not loving you or whatever those hormones have convinced you I did."

"Then what is it?" Elsa tone dropped and it was clear she wasn't going to let Anna off the hook that easily.

"What?"

"If it's not that then what is?" Elsa pressed.

"Ahhh...Elsa...I can't tell you." Anna could feel herself begging to sweat as she bit her bottom lip to keep herself from saying more.

"You can't tell me because it's not the truth." Elsa stormed out of the room with a huff and was headed towards their bedroom.

"Wait Elsa No! That's not it at-" Slam! "all."

Elsa slammed the bedroom door hard in hopes it would get her point across to Anna.

_Great now I have to tell her. She thinks I don't love her now. That's worse than the truth. Great going Anna._

She knew what she had to do. Anna slowly crept up the stairs and approached the bedroom door. She paused for minute before knocking, hearing the quiet muffled sounds of Elsa crying into her pillow.

"Elsa, can I come in?" There was no answer. "Please, I need to talk to you." The faint sound of sobs continued to reverberate through the door. "Okay well I'm coming in."

Elsa was curled up in her pregnancy pillow on the bed with her face buried. "Elsa I have to tell you something that happened at the ultrasound today."

_Okay here goes nothing._

She cleared her throat and nervously tucked her hair behind her ear. "Okay well...when Oaken was doing the gender, I accidentally took my hands down early and saw."

Elsa shot up and whipped around so fast her braid hit her on the other side of her face. "You saw what?"

_Oh God…_

Anna closed her eyes and cringed as she forced herself to say the words. "A penis. I opened my eyes and saw a penis."

Elsa's eyes shot open so wide that Anna thought they were going to reach right out and grab her. "What!" Anna hesitantly approached the side of the bed, wincing at the sound of the shrillness in Elsa's voice.

"I'm sorry Elsa I didn't mean to and I feel like an idiot because I was the one who told you we couldn't find out. But at least you know that it's not because I don't want to touch you or anything. That's good right?"

Elsa shook head so fast that it made little strand of blonde hair to stick to her hot tear stained cheeks. "No! It means you lied to me for half the day and when were you even going to tell me?"

Anna was too afraid to look Elsa in the eye and looked down at her hands that were playing with a ring around her finger instead. "I don't know. That's why you felt like I was ignoring you because I was trying to think of how to handle it."

After a huge breath, Elsa could see that Anna was sincere and started to feel her anger subside. "And how do you even know that what you saw was a penis?"

"What do you mean?" Anna's brows scrunched in confusion.

"I watched tons of ultrasound videos trying to learn how to spot stuff and even I couldn't tell what I was looking at."

Anna reached over and brushed the strands of hair from Elsa's rosy cheeks.

"Elsa I know what I saw." Anna laid her hand on Elsa's knee, letting her words sink in until Elsa finally responded.

"So we're having a boy?"

* * *

Back at Dr. Bjorgman's office they were all going over the results of the ultrasound. All three were huddled tightly around a large computer screen as Dr. Bjorgman clicked through the various black and white photos.

"And here you can see the baby's heart. All four chambers are there and blood flow looks normal. Why are you two smiling at me like that?" They looked at each other and giggled as their secret became unbearable to conceal.

Elsa decided to tell him. "Just the way you say _the baby_. As if to not give anything away." Biting her bottom lip as her smile tried to stretch further across her face.

"Well you two said you didn't want to know the sex of the baby." His brown eyes darted back and forth between the two in confusion.

"It's okay we already know. Anna peeked and saw a penis." Nudging the redheads shoulder as she giggled.

"Uh...are you sure that's what you saw." He sifted through the papers of the ultrasounds report confirming his suspicions.

"Yep." Anna oozed with confidence. "Okay, you want to show me in this photo where you saw said penis?" Anna looked closely at the ultrasound photo and pointed it out.

"Right there. One penis. Wait...one...two...three, four, five...wait what?" Anna stared at the screen with a look of utter confusion.

"It's not a penis it's a foot or something isn't it." Elsa was quick to catch on.

"Hand actually." Dr. Bjorgman had the biggest smile on his face. "So wait it's a girl?" Anna was too embarrassed and bewildered to speak, letting Elsa ask the questions.

"Just because it has a hand doesn't mean it's a girl." He couldn't help but laugh at the situation Anna had gotten herself into.

"So what it is?" Elsa was completely confused and thoroughly frustrated now.

"Look, if you want to find out you can. I have the smaller ultrasound machine next door. It's not my decision it's yours."

Elsa desperately wanted to find out, but again she held herself together for Anna's sake. She clutched the sides of her chair, trying to hold back her words as she waited for Anna to say something. "We may need a few minutes to talk." Anna voice was smooth but serious.

"Alright, I'll give you two a few minutes but if you want to find out you have to make a decision by then."

* * *

**Okay so a little background on in vitro: For in vitro, a woman's egg and a man's sperm are put into a petri dish until the egg is fertilized. The egg is then injected back into the woman's uterus. In the story, Anna and Elsa both had their eggs used in addition to a donor sperm (who we'll learn more about later). So they don't know which egg the sperm fertilized.**

**Science lesson over :) Thank so much for all the sweet comments. They really do mean a lot to me. And, if you're wondering what the towers that Elsa was drawing look like, click the link on my profile page as I based them on real towers found in Dubai.**


	14. Chapter 14

**At long last, the continuation of the gender cliffhanger. I apologize for this chapter being a bit shorter. It's tying up some lose ends and moving onto the next plot point. Thanks to Hunhund, who not only was beta on this but helped me streamline things as well.**

* * *

The tension in the room was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Anna and Elsa were bantering back and forth so furiously that Dr. Bjorgman felt slightly uncomfortable. So much so that he crawled back behind his thick wooden desk and waited for the dust to settle.

"You want to find out? You were the one who said you wanted the biggest surprise of your whole life!" Elsa seethed.

Anna wasn't sure which was worse, the amount of sarcasm Elsa just used or the over exaggerated hand gestures.

"So I changed my mind. I'm allowed to do that. Once I thought it was a boy I started to think about what he would look like and all that kind of stuff." Anna had her arms crossed in front of her as she continued to argue with Elsa.

"So _now_ you want to find out? After all the time I held my feelings in, _now_ you want to find out? This is so like you." Mumbling the last part under her breath as she turned her face away from Anna.

"Excuse me. What was that last part?" Anna's eyebrows rose, and she folded her arms over chest.

Dr. Bjorgman had given up waiting and started to go through some files on his desk, trying anything to block out the tirade unfolding before his eyes. He couldn't help but chuckled at how mad they were even though they were now on the same page with the gender issue. They both wanted to find out so what were they even squabbling over?

"I said this is just like you; always changing your mind, flip-flopping, whatever you want to call it...at my expense." Elsa's eyes were narrow and her voice was sharp and crass as her words cut straight to Anna's core.

"At _your_ expense? You had to stuff your feelings for what, two weeks? Which I don't even know why you're complaining. You're so good at hiding your feelings anyway, I've had to deal with the fact I'm not ever going to be pregnant for over six months, Elsa."

Dr. Bjorgman had enough. He could tell they were going down a road that wasn't going to end well and decided to take control over the situation.

"Hey hormones, feisty pants, stop. Don't do this to each other. Now yes or no, do you want to find out the gender?" He knew they both would say yes and once he told them they would drop their anger and move on to elation.

"Yes." They both answered in unison.

"Okay, then we're going to move into the other office and find out. Agreed?" They looked each other in the eyes for conformation and then back to Dr. Bjorgman.

"Agreed."

Anna looked like she was about to cry. For the life of her she couldn't figure out why they kept arguing like this. Dr. Bjorgman led them out of the room and Elsa grabbed Anna's hand, pulling her back before she could leave. Her voice was quiet and her eyes were also welling with tears.

"I don't want to go in there without saying I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I don't mean to hurt you. I love you." Anna wrapped her arms around Elsa's waist and pulled her in for a hug.

"I don't want to do this anymore. Let's just move on. We'll feel better in ten minutes anyways." Dragging Elsa behind her they hurried to catch up to Dr. Bjorgman who was already warming up the ultrasound equipment in the next room.

"Alright, lay down, shirt up." Elsa laid on the table, rolled her shirt up and then pulled down the extended waistline of her maternity jeans. With the jelly and transducer in place, Anna interlaced her fingers with Elsa's and stood as close as she could next to the table.

"Now that I've got you two in here let's hope this baby is in a good position so we can find out." The fuzzy white outline of the baby appeared on the screen and everyone could feel the tension release from the whole room. "Perfect. Baby is in a great position." Elsa could make out the legs and figured they were looking at the baby from the bottom but really couldn't make out much more than that.

"Okay, are we ready to find out?" He was grinning almost as much as Anna. Elsa looked a bit nervous but was still plenty excited as she waited on pins and needles. The lines on her forehead increasing as her brows rose higher and higher. "Yes!" The suspense was killing them.

"It's a girl!" He finally said.

Anna screamed and hugged Elsa so tight she thought she was going to suffocate her. "It's a girl!" Anna kept repeating. "I was wrong but I don't even care. I'm so happy." Dr. Bjorgman looked on and smiled as he began to wipe off the jelly from Elsa's belly.

"Elsa, you okay?" Anna had been so excited she didn't even notice that Elsa had started crying. She wasn't making any noise but her hand was covering her mouth and tears were streaming down, creating a wet pool above her hand.

"Wait, these are happy tears right?" Anna never knew with Elsa these days. Elsa removed her hand from her mouth and wiped her nose and cheeks with the sleeve of her cardigan.

"Yes, of course happy tears." That only made the tears flow even more as little lines of mascara streaked down her cheeks.

"Wait, you really wanted a girl. But you didn't say anything." Anna had no idea Elsa had wanted a girl this much.

"How could say that I wanted a girl after you said you didn't want to find out?" To Elsa, a girl wasn't just about buying all those adorable cute clothes and accessories. She was definitely looking forward to that. But a girl was a chance to break the cycle. To right all the wrong that had been done to her. She knew the kind of parent she wanted to be and it was nothing like her own.

"Congratulations." Dr. Bjorgman couldn't help but feel a sense of pride as he watched Anna hold Elsa, wiping away her tears. "I'll give you two a minute." He closed the door behind them and let them celebrate in private.

As they walked out of the office and into the parking lot they could both feel a sense of sadness as they now had to part ways again.

"It sucks we have to go back to work after this. I really want to go celebrate or something." Anna was half hoping Elsa would give them permission to blow of the rest of the day and bask in the glow of their good news.

"Me too. But I have a meeting I can't miss and you can't get a sub this short notice. I'll see you at home." They exchanged a quick kiss and headed their separate ways. Elsa did have to make it back to work for a meeting but she would be leaving early to prepare something special for Anna.

* * *

After a long day at work Anna finally pulled up to the drive way only to find that Elsa had managed to make it home before her.

"What the hell?" She couldn't remember the last time Elsa had gotten home early without her being sick or having some kind of medical emergency. She figured it couldn't possibly be either because Elsa would have told her if something was wrong. She cautiously pushed the door open, uncertain of what she was about to walk into, and began to look for Elsa. There in the kitchen was the blonde standing behind a counter full of ingredients and cookware.

"You're home!" Elsa came over to where Anna was and gave her kiss before leading her into the kitchen. Anna was relieved to know that nothing was wrong but was still confused as to just what was going on.

"What is all this?" She looked across the counter could tell Elsa was planning on making something but couldn't tell from the ingredients what it was.

"This is my apology for today. And I also wanted to celebrate so I thought it would be fun to make something together." Anna hadn't seen Elsa cook since the first year they dated. She was more of an order in type of lady, so the thought of her donning an apron and making something together was almost mind blowing for Anna.

"What are we making? It looks like waffles or something."

Elsa giggled as she could see why Anna would think that, given there was some sort or iron on the counter.

"No not waffles. This is the extra special part. We're making krumkake." The immature girl inside of Anna giggled as she tried hard not to laugh out loud and ruin the moment.

"I'm sorry, krum _what_?" She bit her lip to keep herself from laughing.

"Grow up, silly. It's Norwegian and it means curved cake."

Anna gasped. "We're making something Norwegian?" Suddenly realizing the huge moment this really was, Anna cupped her hands over her mouth to contain her emotions. Elsa, the woman who hardly ever talked about Norway or anything related to it without being forcefully prompted, not only just said one of the few words Anna ever heard Elsa say in Norwegian, but she was also going to be making something from there as well. For Elsa, this was basically her baring her soul.

"What...how...why?" Anna had so many questions they were all coming out at once in a jumble of words.

"I want to show you that I_ am_ trying. I'm actually _really_ happy today and this makes me feel better in a strange way. It dawned on me that you're not going to be the only person in my life asking me about my past. This little girl is going to be asking me all kinds of questions as well. And this is the main reason I brought all this stuff back from home in the first place. To share and pass on to someone else."

Anna was so floored that she couldn't even get her mouth to close. Tears pricked her eyes and a warmth spread through her chest. She was letting Anna in. A feeling so amazing she didn't even know what to say. Instead she threw herself into Elsa's arms and held her tight. "Thank you for this." She whispered into Elsa's ear.

"Anna I haven't shown you the best part." Anna pulled away and looked at Elsa with a bemused expression.

"There's more?" She brought Anna over to a small cast iron press that looked similar to a waffle iron but only much more beautiful. The two plates were decorated with a rosemal design that surrounded four hearts in the center.

"This is the krumkake iron. This one was my grandmother's, mormor, and I'll bet my parents were very angry when they found out I took it." Anna was shocked at how smoothly and calmly Elsa was speaking. She hadn't been able to get this much out of her in years without causing an emotional breakdown.

"Mormor. Was that her name?" Anna took Elsa's hands in her own and stroked them with her thumbs. "No it's just what you call your grandma. It's like granny."

"Did you make these with mormor?" She asked trying not to sound overly eager.

"Yes, for Christmas. Every Christmas in fact, until she died when I was twelve." Elsa's eyes seemed lost in memory as she stared at the intricate patterns on the iron.

"Elsa, how are you doing this? You're sharing this with me but you actually seem...happy." Elsa sighed contently and smiled back at Anna, gazing into those beautiful teal pools.

"I'm not really sure. I think talking about this is easier because my mormor and I had a great relationship and these memories feel more happy than sad." She turned her attention back to bowl of batter sitting on the counter.

"Okay so I'll make one first so you can watch and then you can try one." Anna watched as Elsa swirled the batter around with a spoon in a perfect circular motion. She scooped up a tiny dollop of batter and drizzled it on the bottom plate, quickly closing it together as the batter spread to the edge of the iron. "Then you count to fifteen and it should be done." Elsa gave the iron a graceful twirl and flipped it over before opening it to expose the most delicate little pastry Anna had ever seen, almost too beautiful to eat. "You know it's done when the center is brown." Elsa reached over and grabbed one of the wooden cone rollers and began to scrape the pastry onto and around the cone. "You have to do this part kind of fast otherwise it won't hold the shape. I can't count the number of times I burnt myself doing this."

Anna was enthralled as she watched Elsa's slender fingers dance around the cake and secure it around the little cone, jerking her finger away in pain when the heat became too much. "Ouch!" She instinctively brought the tip of her finger up into to her mouth to soothe the burning.

"You okay?" Anna winced out of sympathy.

"Yeah. That just means you're doing it right. Anyways, you let the cones cool and then when you've made up the whole batter you fill them with the cream."

Anna held the small cone in her hand, admiring the craftsmanship that had gone into something that was going to be devoured by the end of the night. "My turn!" Anna picked up the bowl and took a spoonful of batter and carefully brought it over to the iron, her hand trembling as she tried to keep it from spilling.

"Be careful because this is really hot. Clearly as I just demonstrated." Elsa looked down at her fingertip that was still pink with pain. Anna stuck her tongue out and pressed it up against her upper lip as she used all her might to concentrate and pour the batter onto the very center of the iron. Once finished she shut the iron in one swift motion and giddily turned back to Elsa.

"I did it!" She quickly spun Anna back around.

"Don't forget to count. Better check it. It might be overdone." Anna's smile faded into a frown as she opened the iron and saw the center of her cake was dark brown with a black spot in the middle. Nothing like the perfectly toasted brown that Elsa's had been.

"Oh no, I burnt it." Her bottom lip stuck out as she tried to scrape the crumbling cake off of the iron.

"It's okay. We have plenty of batter. Just try again and don't forget to count." With determination written all over her face, Anna put another spoonful of batter on the iron and counted out loud all the way up to fifteen. This time the cake looked exactly like Elsa's.

"Ha ha yes! Success!" Moving quickly she grabbed the cone roller and wrapped the krumkake around it.

"You did it, it looks perfect!" Elsa looked on as Anna triumphantly held her creation in her hand.

"You might be making a baby but I just made my first krumkake." Her lips curled into a devilish smile.

After an hour of making the cones it was time to fill them with the cream Elsa had set aside in the fridge. Scooping the cream from a large silver mixing bowl she filled two pastry bags, one for each of them and handed one to Anna.

"This part is much easier. All you have to do is pipe the cream into the cone, like so." Holding the cone in one hand and the pastry bag in the other, Elsa effortless filled the cone and finished it with a flick of her wrist, creating a perfect swirl at the end. "And then it's done. Try it." She held out the krumkake to Anna, cupping her bottom hand underneath as Anna crunched down into the heavenly treat.

"Oh my God...this is the best thing I've ever eaten." Muffling her words through the krumkake in her mouth. Elsa had meant for Anna to take a bite but instead she'd eaten the whole thing at once.

"You have some um...cream in the corner of your mouth. Here." Anna strained her eyes to try to look at where Elsa was gesturing to but the blonde had already begun to sweep her finger across Anna's lips, licking the cream off her finger before giving a shy hint of a smile.

"Okay, you take this half and I'll take that half." Anna readied herself with her pastry bag and began to fill the krumkakes on her half of the counter, always watching Elsa's fluid movements out of the corner of her eye. Anna had no idea how long it had been since the last time Elsa had made krumkake but it looked like she'd been doing it her whole life. While Anna struggled to find the right amount of pressure on the pastry bag, Elsa was filling cone after cone in a well-choreographed dance of perfection. Anna more so noticed a certain twinkle in Elsa's eyes as she worked and it was impossible to tear her eyes away from her.

When all of the krumkakes were filled, Elsa brought a plate of them over to the coffee table and snuggled up with Anna in a papasan chair off to the side of the fireplace. "Why did we have to make three dozen of these things? I'm going to eat them all by the end of the night if I don't stop myself." Anna had just finished chewing as she swallowed and shoved another krumkake into her mouth, savoring the rich buttery sweetness of the cream.

"Sorry. Mormor always made a ton at a time and I didn't want to ruin the recipe by trying to cut it down. But they're good huh?" Anna was plum stuffed and a nod was all she could manage. Elsa licked the last bit of cream off her fingers and cuddled closer to Anna, feeling the warmth emanating from the flickering fire as they intertwined their legs. Their eyes locked on each other and Anna reached out to playfully twirl a strand of Elsa's hair between her fingers.

"This was so nice. I wish you would do things like this more often." The corners of her eyes crinkled as a smile stretched across her face.

"Well this was definitely better than the first night we tried to delve into the boxes. This is something that can't be rushed. Too much at one time makes me feel like I'm going to have panic attack. Just be patient."

Anna nestled her head against Elsa's chest and listened to the melodic beating of her heart.

"Slow is good. I can do slow. Besides, I think I learned my lesson about pushing you into things. But since you got me into this Nordic mood, can you do me one favor?"

Elsa was combing her fingers through Anna's hair as she looked down at her freckled face. "What's that?" She asked softly.

"Can you say something in Norwegian? I just don't get to hear it very often and it sounds so beautiful coming from you." Anna's voice was timid, hoping she wasn't asking for too much.

Elsa leaned her cheek on top of Anna's head as she thought of something to say.

"Jeg elsker deg."

Anna had no idea what she had said but was just as she expected, beautiful. "What does it mean?"

"What do you think it means?" She cupped her hand under Anna's chin and brought her closer, pressing a kiss to her warm lips.

"I love you too."

* * *

The kitchen had been left in complete disarray from the night before. The next morning Elsa cleaned up and returned the kitchen to its usual sparkling state. If anything made her more grumpy, it was a mess. She gathered up the krumkake iron and cone rollers and headed down the stairs into the basement, back to the dreaded white boxes. She was smart enough to know that the iron would be in the heaviest box when she went to get it out the night before. Sparing herself the torment of searching through God knows how many boxes to find what she needed.

She carefully opened the box that was still sitting on a stack of three other boxes and gingerly set the iron and rollers back inside, quickly putting the top back on before she saw anything else she wasn't prepared to see. Eager to leave she turned with such haste that her protruding belly caught the side one of the boxes, sending it tumbling to the ground. Elsa gasped as she covered her eyes, hoping nothing had spilled out or worse, broken.

She summoned her courage and slowly began to pull her hands down. As her eyes fluttered open, she saw the contents of the box strewn about the concrete floor of the basement. She clutched her hands to her chest, grasping them tightly as her eyes focused on the individual objects. Beneath her feet was a small white jewelry with gold and purple rosemaling on it. Further out from that was a trail of photos and old childhood drawings. Peeking out from the box was a small handmade cloth doll with a blue dress and little crown on her head. As she glanced at each object she could feel her heartstrings pull.

_Get it together. _

Shaking her head, she rushed to the ground and frantically started shoving whatever she could get her hands on back in the box. She tried not to look directly at anything and could feel the sting of paper cuts on her trembling hands as she continued to shovel. Everything was almost back in the box when she began to gather the photos. A few of them had fallen back in between some old framed canvases and Elsa strained to reach for them. Adjusting herself so her arm could reach even further down the narrow slats, she stretched her arm with all her might until her eyes caught a glimpse of her family staring back at her in one of the photos. As if she'd almost been bitten she recoiled her hand and backed away from the boxes, turning to run before she slammed into Anna and screamed with a fright.

"What is going on down here? Are you okay?" Anna held Elsa in her arms as she looked around the basement and spied the toppled box on the floor. Elsa was breathing heavily and she clung to Anna's arms as she tried to catch her breath.

"I-I was putting stuff away and the box fell over. I just got overwhelmed." She swallowed hard as she tried to regain control over herself.

"It's okay, I'm here. I'll help you clean it up." A look of concern grew over Anna's face as she watched the rapid rise and fall of Elsa's back.

"I can't. That's how this happened in the first place. I tried to clean and got too freaked out. There's a picture of my parents between the canvases...I haven't seen his face in six years and I sure as hell don't want to see it now."

"It's okay. Go back upstairs and relax. You're going to get the baby all worked up." Anna put her hand on Elsa's back and led her towards the stairs.

"I know, I know. She's kicking up a storm already." As Elsa trekked back up the stairs Anna surveyed the mess spread across the floor.

One by one she put everything back into the box, taking a moment to examine each item with a keen eye. She reached back in between the canvases and grabbed the old family photo that had almost sent Elsa into a panic attack. She looked at the picture as her face twisted, taking in the only picture of Elsa's parents she'd ever seen. She was surprised to see that her mother had dark chestnut hair, nothing like the snow white quality of Elsa's. Her father stood stoically behind Elsa and her mother, dressed in a dark double breasted suit. He wasn't smiling and the only sign of affection were the hands that rested on his wife and daughter's shoulders. And then there was Elsa. A tiny blonde little girl not more than a few feet tall, her ever present braid fastened in the front by a black headband. Her eyes were filled with joy and captured a certain sparkle that neither of her parents seemed to share. If it wasn't for the striking resemblance to Elsa's mother, Anna would have sworn the stork had dropped her off.

"Anna are you done yet?" Elsa voice rang down the stairs, causing Anna to drop the photo.

"Coming." She quickly put the lid back on the top of the box and straightened the stack of boxes to prevent them from falling over again.

Before she returned upstairs, she bent over and picked up the photo, putting it into the pocket of her robe as she dashed back up to check on Elsa.

* * *

**If the humor was lost on anyone during the krukake scene, the pronunciation is kroom-kaka. I've been getting a lot of questions about both of the girls' parents. Next chapter will be flashback concerning Anna's parents and you'll get to learn more about them. A few readers were also concerned about the genetic testing and the baby. I have no plans to make their baby anything other than a healthy baby. Genetic testing is just a standard procedure during pregnancy. Thanks again for all the lovely comments! I try to reply to as many as I can XD**


	15. Chapter 15

**Thank you all for being so patient as the wait between updates was a little longer this time. Thanks to Hunhund for being an awesome beta! The last part of the flashback deals with death, just in case that may be triggering for anyone.**

* * *

Life had been pretty quiet around the Arendelle house the past few days. Though that was pretty common this time of year. The anniversary of the death of her parents always casted a melancholy gloom over Anna. The first few years after their death she would dread seeing the date on the calendar, knowing it was a day that changed her life forever. Over time the pattern had become the same. First, it started with dreams, usually the week before. Anna frequently dreamed about her parents on other nights but these other dreams were extremely vivid, full of fear and sadness. She'd often wake up flailing her limbs about in a pool of her own sweat and Elsa would have to hold her until she calmed down and could be lulled back to sleep. By the time the actual day rolled around, Anna would be very quiet and distant. Her head hung low and her normally skipper gate was more of a somber drawl. Even though there wasn't much said, she never wanted to be alone; always wanting Elsa to be within an arm's reach away. Being alone was what she feared the most.

Elsa worried that this year would be especially hard on Anna. It would have been the year they would have become grandparents and witnessed one of the most joyous times in their daughter's life. And they knew they would have made the best grandparents. Anna's parents were the most welcoming people, always warm and caring. Their house was usually filled with laughter and good spirits, something that was a foreign concept to Elsa. Her parents supported Anna in whatever she wanted to pursue. Even when she changed majors three times in one year, they understood and told her it was merely part of the journey to find herself and what she wanted in life.

The first time Anna brought Elsa home to meet her parents she could hardly wait. Not only because they were amazing people but she wanted to show Elsa that happy families did in fact exist. She knew her parents would love Elsa and although they could never replace her own parents, Anna was sure they'd love her just as much as she loved Elsa.

After months of hearing about this wonderful and mysterious new woman her daughter was dating, Anna's mom insisted that she bring Elsa to Thanksgiving dinner at their quaint home in the suburbs. Elsa had never made it far enough into a relationship to meet someone's parents before and was nervous to say the least. She hadn't even been to a Thanksgiving dinner before either and this was also going to be their first holiday together. It was going to be a day jam packed with firsts, the thought of which made Elsa's stomach tie in knots. Bustling through her closet she frantically tried to pick out something to wear the day before.

"What's the matter? You look all flustered." Anna giggled from Elsa's plush and comfy bed as she sorted through the collection of colorful dresses and shirts.

"I don't know what to wear. What does one even wear to Thanksgiving? Is it dressy or casual? I feel like I should look nice since I'm meeting your parents and all but I don't want to look like I'm trying too hard." Her steely eyes filled with desperation. Anna shook her head and continued to giggle as she rolled onto her stomach.

"It's pretty casual at our house. Seriously you could just wear jeans. My parents are very relaxed and go with flow." Anna's hands made a little swirling gesture and she playfully clicked her tongue. Elsa breathed a short sigh of relief and went back to perusing the more casual area of her closet.

"What about this?" She asked, holding up pair of nice dark jeans and a sharp heather gray sweater, trying to read the expression on Anna's face.

"Perfect. Wear that and then you can stop worrying about it." She replied, flashing Elsa a reassuring smile.

If only Elsa knew just how much she was getting herself worked up for nothing. Anna's parents were so excited to meet Elsa they wouldn't have cared if she showed up in a paper bag. Elsa folded the jeans and sweater and set them aside on the solid dark wood dresser before joining Anna on the heavenly duvet.

"You think they'll like me?"

Anna scoffed at the absurdity of her question. "There is nothing not to love about you. Of _course _they will. They will love you because _I _love you." She leaned down over the blonde and kissed her worries away with loving lips.

"I love you too." They'd only been dating a little over two months and the phrase _I love you _was something they'd only started saying recently. It wasn't something Elsa said often, she'd been burned too times by family and ex-lovers in the past to believe it when someone declared it.

The first time Anna told her she loved her Elsa hesitated and didn't reply right away, prompting Anna to ask her if she loved her in return. Half of her heart did love Anna, with a love she'd never felt before, but the other half reminded her that Anna was only twenty one and couldn't possibly know what love was. But she couldn't deny the electricity between them, an indescribable, intangible feeling that went far beyond infatuation or lust.

The following day they pulled up to the two story track house bordered by a beautiful assortment of azaleas and tulips, ready to meet the parents and glutinously eat like there was no tomorrow. Elsa understood the historical significance of Thanksgiving but didn't understand how giant floats on parade and stuffing oneself silly had become part of the time honored tradition. Anna was in the middle of one of her many ramblings trying to explain the normality of American holidays.

"I'm sure there must be _some_ holiday in Norway where they do completely ridiculous things that have no historical merit whatsoever." She continued to tease. "Actually yes, there is. Around Easter there's a...well it's a pastime time not an official holiday, called _Paakekrim_ where everyone spends the day reading crime novels or watching crime shows on TV." Anna drew back in disbelief. "You're making this up." Elsa leaned against the seat and laughed, which was great because it helped her relax all the more. "I wish I were." She said, unbuckling her seatbelt. "Okay that's it. This Easter we are watching CSI for an entire day." Anna declared with a pointed finger at Elsa.

Their giggling came to halt when Elsa spied what could only be Anna's mom peering out of one the windows, waving enthusiastically. "You'll be fine, just breathe. I promise they don't bite." She tried to reassure a tensing Elsa.

"Hi girls! This must be Elsa. I've heard so much about you dear. I'm Anna's mom Lillian." Elsa held her hand out to shake Lillian's as a blush crept across her cheeks.

"So nice to meet yo-" Before Elsa could finish, Lillian enveloped her in a firm yet gentle hug. It was so warm and motherly that Elsa found herself wanting to push away at the overwhelming physical contact and yet never leave at the same time. She couldn't help but notice she emanated some sort of sweet smelling scent. A stark contrast to the overpowering designer perfume Elsa's mother wore.

"Hi honey. Your dad is in the kitchen peeling potatoes." She gave Anna a quick kiss on the cheek and led the girls inside. The house was definitely smaller than what Elsa was accustomed to but it was like something right out of television show. It was very warm and homey; the walls were covered with frame after frame of family photos. A picture of a young Anna in jersey holding a soccer ball with two missing front teeth grabbed Elsa's attention first. The adorableness of the little freckled face girl was almost too much to handle.

Tagging along slightly behind Anna they found their way to kitchen where sure enough Anna's dad was hunched over the sink, peeler in hand as she primed the potatoes for their boiling bath on the stove.

"Hey, there's my beautiful girl!" Anna wasn't lying when she said her dad had red hair. It wasn't quite the same fiery shade as Anna's but it was easy to see who she inherited her good looks and freckles from.

"Dad, this is Elsa. Elsa this is my dad Andrew." Anna chirped, pushing the reluctant blonde towards the robust man standing at the sink.

"It's a pleasure. Anna has said nothing but good things about you. First rule of the house, my house is your house so please make yourself feel comfortable and just ask me or Lillian if there's anything you need." He set the peeler down on the side of the sink and wiped his hands clean with a floral dish towel before smothering Elsa in a big bear hug. Their physical affection took some getting used to, but Elsa quickly understood how Anna came to be so loving and affectionate herself.

"Thank you. Your home is really lovely and I'm looking forward to what Anna tells me will be the best meal I've ever had in my life." The blush on her face continued to spread as she smiled demurely.

"Good and I hope you're hungry because there will be plenty of food." He chortled, turning back to the sink where he continued to peel away at the potatoes.

"Come on I'll show you my room." Anna huffed as she whisked Elsa up the stairs towards her childhood room. The walls were covered in a light pink damask wallpaper her dad put up when they first moved into the house fifteen years ago. There was a neatly made single twin bed with a pink bedspread and glow in the dark stars scattered across the ceiling.

"I had no idea you liked pink so much." Elsa clasped her hands in front of her as she slowly moved her gaze about the room. "You mean how much my parents like pink. I mean it's okay but they picked it out, not me. I think I would have gone with green or something." Anna hoisted herself onto the creaking bed and watched Elsa move about.

"What color was your room? I'll bet it was blue. You're always wearing it and half your apartment is light blue." Anna loved the early stages of getting to know someone and Elsa was still somewhat of a mystery she'd yet to unravel.

"Purple actually." Her mouth agape as she looked through the many trophies Anna had arranged in one of the corners of the room. Track, gymnastics, tennis. Anna seemed to excel at just about every sport, with the hardware to prove it.

"Wait a minute. This one says junior varsity cheer. You were a cheerleader?" A mischievous grin stretched across her face, eyes widening at the thought of Anna cheering on the sidelines of a football game in one of those skimpy little skirts.

"Just junior year." Elsa was thoroughly amused by this intriguing bit of information. "Please tell me you still have your uniform." It wasn't really a question so much as a plea. Never having seen cheerleaders until she came to the states, the uniforms were definitely something that had peeked Elsa's interest.

"You'll be happy to know that I do. Shall I take it with me when we leave today?" Her teasing tone only egged Elsa on further.

"Oh yes we shall." Unable to resist the redhead's charm, she sauntered over to the bed and brushed a single finger along Anna's arm, making little circles as it traveled upward leaving goose bumps in its wake. "And I expect a full on half time show this evening. I saw those gymnastics medals and I think you've been holding out on me." Her voice laced with a sultry undertone.

Friskily grabbing the blonde by her waist, she pulled Elsa onto the bed, forcing her to collapse flush against Anna's lithe body. She threaded her fingers through Elsa's draping mane with that all too familiar look of want in her eyes. "After twenty one years, I finally have the most gorgeous woman in the world in this bed." Anna said as she felt Elsa shifting on top of her.

Elsa ignored the impetuous voice in her head reminding her that Lillian or Andrew could walk in at any moment and instead let her lips sweetly meet with Anna's. The tantalizing swipe of a tongue across her slightly parted lips impelled Elsa to deepen the kiss, causing Anna to momentarily forget where they were as her hands began to slither down the blonde's stomach and dip below the waistline of her jeans.

"We have to stop. Your parents could walk in any minute. They're probably down there right now wondering what's taking us so long. And we did come to see _them_ after all." Elsa was right, and Anna groaned with frustration.

"Fine but just let me…" Grasping her hands firmly against the back pockets of Elsa's jeans, helping herself to a hand full of the blonde's derriere with a firm squeeze. "Ahh yeah. Okay I'm good. Let's go back downstairs." Prying themselves off the bed, they returned downstairs to find Lillian setting the table and Andrew mashing the potatoes.

"Hey girls! Dinner will be ready in a few more minutes if you want to help put some of the food out on the table." Anna grabbed a serving dish full of piping hot stuffing and handed it to Elsa before bringing a green bean casserole over to the table. They took a seat next to each other at the long wooden table adorned with a festive floral centerpiece complete with a turkey and pilgrim figurine. Anna's mouth salivated as her parents set dish after dish of delectable food out on the table. Elsa quickly realized she probably had worn the wrong pair of pants and should have opted for something with a little more give in the waist, seeing as there were only four people but enough food to feed ten.

"Alright, who's ready to eat?" Andrew's baritone voice rang out as he brought the turkey out on a large serving platter. "And because Elsa is our guest of honor I'll let her have first pick. White or dark dear?" Elsa's scrunched her eyebrows together and looked to Anna for guidance.

"He means meat. White or dark meat?" She clarified.

"Oh, dark please." She said as she took her napkin out of its festive ring and delicately placed it in her lap.

"Good choice. I'm a dark meat man myself. Anna and her mom always want white." Elsa nervously chuckled as Andrew placed a few slices of meat on her plate, doing the same for Anna and Lillian. When everyone was served Andrew declared it was time to dig in. Dishes and serving platters were feverishly being passed around the table, the sound of clanking cutlery and comments about how good the food looked filled the room.

"So Elsa, I hear this is your first Thanksgiving?" Lillian asked as she began to cut into her slice of turkey.

"It is and I have to say I'm enjoying it very much so far. You're both very good hosts." Andrew and Lillian smiled at each other, both noticing how charmingly polite and well-mannered Elsa was.

"Anna tells us you're from Norway. You're very far away from home, how do like living here?" What had felt like a pleasant conversation was now bordering on the inevitable topic of family. She knew it was coming and tried to grit and bare it. She didn't want to be rude in front of Anna's parents and she knew they weren't trying to pry but just making polite conversation.

"I moved here my freshman year of college, so a little over four years ago and I really like it. The weather is much nicer and I really enjoy American culture." Short and sweet. Just how she planned it, hoping to avoid any triggering questions being that her emotions were still pretty raw considering she'd fallen out with her family just five months ago. It wasn't fresh but it was a deep wound she was still healing from.

"Your parents must miss you like crazy. I know I'd miss Anna if she moved halfway around the world. Do you get to visit often?" Lillian's question made Elsa's stomach drop and she fought hard to control the expression on her face, biting her lip as she tried to think of the best way to answer. _Just be honest and she'll stop asking. Control yourself. _Anna looked over at Elsa and saw the look of anguish on her face. Like she was struggling with something but Anna could never figure out what. She knew Elsa wasn't close with her family; it didn't take a genius to figure out why she made that face and every time someone mentioned her family or home. Trying to ease whatever it was going on inside her head, she soothingly rubbed the top of Elsa's thigh while continuing to spear the green bean casserole with her fork.

"To be honest...I'm not really that close with my family. It's hard to explain but I'm basically on my own." The clattering of forks ceased and all eyes were suddenly on Elsa. Anna's hand moved from Elsa's thigh to her back, continuing to comfort her.

"You know, I was the same way with my family." Andrew exclaimed as he set his fork down and leaned back in his chair. Elsa cocked her head in his direction, intrigued by his confession.

"My dad and I, we just weren't cut from the same cloth. My brother, he was his golden child. We could never work out our differences so I kept him at a distance for the sake of my marriage." Anna had never heard her dad speak so bluntly about their family, but it was clear he was trying to empathize with Elsa. Here she was in a new home meeting her girlfriend's parents for the first time and she'd been accidently cornered into the most dreaded conversation. Andrew looked at her; his piercing green eyes were sympathetic and kind. She was still so young to endure such a thing and he felt for her from the bottom of his heart.

"I know what it's like to be young and on your own. I think you're so brave, I really do." He didn't need to know the details of what had transpired, her eyes said it all.

The back of Elsa's throat swelled as she tried to maintain her composure, feeling like she could break at any moment. "Thank you." Her words were so soft Andrew had to practically read her lips to make out what she'd said.

"You're very welcome sweetheart." Giving Elsa a big grin before returning to the enormous meal on his plate.

"Now Lillian, Anna, no more asking about Elsa's family for the rest of the day. This is supposed to be happy holiday. She's been here an hour and we've almost made her cry. What kind of family are we?" His jovial tone was so lighthearted it made everyone burst into laughter, especially Elsa. She was so glad to have that behind her and relished at the thought of having someone who understood her without having to divulge her whole past. Andrew was a real man, a real father. He was strong and kind, gracious and caring. His family was clearly his priority and he made it a point to let them know.

The rest of dinner was much more fun. Andrew told old stories about Anna growing up and the various pranks she played over the years. Lillian chimed in with more sentimental stories and Elsa could see that she and Anna shared a strong mother daughter bond like she'd never seen before.

When dinner was done, they retreated to the enormous fluffy sectional in the family room to recover from their overindulging, while Anna's parents packed away the leftovers and loaded the dishwasher in the kitchen. Anna was nestled into the elbow of the sectional with Elsa sitting close beside her, legs draped over Anna's as they entangled their fingers together.

"I'm sorry about earlier. They didn't mean any harm, really they love you." Anna insisted.

"It's okay. I'm kind of glad in a way because what your dad said made me feel better. I've never known anyone else who's been through this." Her thumb playfully brushed the inside of Anna's palm, checking to make sure Anna's parents weren't looking before capturing Anna's bottom lip in a quick kiss. "Seriously, your family is great and you're really lucky to have them."

"Thank you." Pressing her lips back to Elsa's.

Unbeknownst to them, Andrew and Lillian had been peering around the corner of the kitchen, quickly catching glances of the two curled up together on the couch, sharing those sweet kisses that new lovers do.

"Remember when we were like that?" Lillian playfully bounced her brows as she scraped the mashed potatoes into a plastic food container. Andrew came up beside her and nuzzled his prominent chin into her neck.

"What do you mean _remember_? Aren't we still like that?" He jested.

"I think there's something special there. I haven't seen Anna so crazy about someone like this before. I mean look at them." They both quickly caught another glimpse of Anna and Elsa murmuring sweet nothings to each other as Anna kissed Elsa on the nose and stroked her cheek.

"Is that not the most adorable thing ever? And she's gorgeous. I didn't want to make a big fuss about it and embarrass Anna but they're a really good looking couple." She finished packing the Tupperware into a bag for Anna to take home, placing an uneaten pumpkin pie on top. She could use the extra food being that she was still on the starving student diet until she graduated and got a job in the spring.

"We'll have to wait and see. At least we know we know she'll be spending Christmas with us this year. You always wanted another girl. I think you may have gotten your wish." He chuckled as he lovingly tickled his wife's side.

* * *

Christmas came and went. And it was a million times better than Thanksgiving, with even more food and sweets. Before they knew it, it was June and Elsa was sitting in between Lillian and Andrew at Anna's graduation. She cheered as Anna walked across the stage in her black cap and flowing gown, claiming that coveted diploma she'd worked so hard for. Not long after, Anna followed in her mother's footsteps and got her first job as a teacher.

As time went by and their romance grew into something stronger, Lillian tried to put the bug into their ears to get married. They'd been together for two years and talk of moving in together and making plans for the future were in full swing. They both knew they wanted kids, especially Anna who had even gone into teaching because she loved to be around them so much, and Andrew and Lillian could hardly wait for grandchildren. So it wasn't much of a surprise when Elsa stopped by after work one day to formally ask Andrew and Lillian for Anna's hand in marriage, wanting their blessing before proposing to Anna. Not that they would say no but Elsa liked the formality of asking permission. Overjoyed, they of course said yes. Elsa had been toying with several ideas of how to propose to Anna but knew Andrew and Lillian would be able to offer some great suggestions. Andrew knew the perfect place, the small secluded beach Anna spent many summers at with her family. A beach that was now the place Elsa and Anna escaped to on hot summer days, lounging the day away under an umbrella with a cool drink in their hand. It truly was perfect. Once Elsa picked out a simple princess cut diamond solitaire ring, she planned to take Anna to the beach late in the afternoon and propose just before sunset.

As the tourists and beach dwellers packed up their things and headed home, the beach became their private paradise. Anna pulled her shorts back on over her olive green bikini while Elsa nervously waited already fully clothed, feeling the weight of the ring in her pocket as butterflies danced in her stomach.

"Alright, let's get out of here. It's getting cold." A shiver ran down her spine as Anna zipped up her jacket and slipped her flip flops on.

"Wait. Before we go, there's something I want to ask you." She took Anna's hands in her own and she spoke the words she'd rehearsed in her head several times. "We've been talking about this for a while and I've never felt so sure about something before in my entire life." She dropped to one knee and assumed the iconic pose, her hand shaking as she pulled the ring from her pocket. "I want to ask if...if you'll marry me. Because I love you more than anything and...I can't live without you."

A devious smirk came over Anna's face and for a moment Elsa panicked, not expecting that to be her reaction, and she still hadn't heard her say yes. Elsa looked bewildered as she watched Anna mimic her and drop to one knee as she reached into her own pocket and pulled out a round cut sapphire solitaire, holding it out to where Elsa held hers.

"Wait. How did you know?" She blurted, blinking her eyes in confusion.

"My parents aren't very good at keeping secrets. But I'm glad they told me because I wanted to do this together. Oh and yes, yes I do." The smirk faded into a more sincere smile as she gazed into Elsa's eyes.

Elsa was so taken with the moment that she forgot what she was doing. Once she refocused she took Anna's left hand and slid the ring onto her finger, lifting her hand up to kiss the glittering stone. Anna did the same and began to put the ring on Elsa's finger.

"I know you like blue, so I thought a sapphire would look really beautiful. And I like that they're different." Elsa stared into the deep blue gem, overwhelmed by the thought Anna had put into her surprise.

"Wait, I didn't even ask!" Anna has been so caught up in her sneaky plan that she forgot to even pop the question to Elsa. She cleared her throat and tried to take on a more serious tone. "Elsa, please make me the happiest woman on earth and say that you'll marry me. I love you and I want to build a life together with you." Even though the ring was already on her finger, Anna anxiously waited for Elsa's answer.

"Yes. A thousand times…yes."

* * *

Winter was now its way out and wedding plans were starting to shape as the date of their spring wedding grew closer. Elsa was also busy with her new job at a prestigious firm and plans to build their own home on a plot of land they had just bought close to Anna's work.

Anna was laying on the bed amongst a sea of bridal magazines, trying to get an idea of what she would want to try on when her mom took her to the dress shop the following week. She licked her finger and flipped through the glossy pages as she pictured herself in each of the posh white gowns. Elsa was busy drawing out sketches for the new home in another room when she heard the phone ring. Being closest to the phone she set down her pencil and went to answer it. Anna continued to daydream away as she half listened in on the conversation.

"She's here, may I ask who's calling. Yes, I'm family." Elsa was slightly thrown by the question.

"Wait what's wrong?" Her voice went up so sharply that it startled Anna who had abruptly sprang from the bed to find out what all the commotion was about.

"Oh my God! What hospital?" Elsa's hand was pressed against her forehead as she frantically searched for her car keys. "We're coming, we're coming." She repeated.

"What's wrong?" Anna figured from Elsa's half of the conversation that something serious had happened, trying to remember if she'd heard the word hospital or not.

Slapped with the stark reality that she'd have to break the news to Anna, Elsa trembled as she tried to repeat the abhorred news she'd just been told over the phone.

"Anna your parents...your parents were in a car accident on their way home from their ski trip. They're on their way to the hospital but they said they're in critical condition." Elsa helplessly watched Anna's pupils dilate in shock; the magazine slipped from her hand and fell to the floor.

"Look, we may not have of lot of time. We have to go." Elsa's voice became more panicked and strained. Anna stood frozen, unable to move or even make out what Elsa was saying as her world played out in slow motion. Elsa ran to their room and grabbed a jacket and a pair of shoes for Anna, frantically trying to get themselves out the door and on their way to the hospital.

She managed to shove a pair boots onto Anna's feet, zipped her jacket and helped her to the car. They'd made it the hospital just after the ambulance arrived, but it was too late. Her parents' small sedan had been no match for the massive semi-truck that hit them after spinning out on black ice.

* * *

Days later Anna was still in bed, she hadn't moved from there since they came home from the hospital.

"What are we going to do? We're in the middle of planning this huge wedding that's supposed to happen in three months." Anna slumped against the headboard of the bed and dejectedly glared at the ceiling as Elsa held Anna's hand in her own, caressing the top with her thumb.

"Don't worry about that now. We can put things on hold." Anna's eyes lidded as she defiantly shook her head. "No I don't want to do that. Besides, your work visa will be up soon and you'd have to start a green card process for nothing."

"That should be the last reason why we change anything. But if you really want to because of how you feel, we can still keep the date. In fact I was thinking we should scale it down. Too much takes away from the moment you know?" Elsa waited for a response but Anna just stared off into space, motionless with grief.

"I won't even have anyone to walk me down the aisle. My parents won't get to see me on what's supposed to be the happiest day of my life." Her voice trembled as her eyes squeezed shut, forcing out a single tear. Try as she might she couldn't hold back the cries building in her chest that were begging to be released.

"My whole family is gone." Her sobs turned into wails as she struggled to breathe amidst the hiccups of her cries. Her heart ached and she felt like every muscle in her body was going to give out on her.

"Anna, look at me. _Look_ at me." Elsa gently placed her hands on the sides of Anna's tear stained cheeks and pulled her face closer to hers. "This is devastating. But we're going to get through this. You're not alone and I will be here for you every minute of every day. I don't know if things will ever change with my parents but as far as I'm concerned _you _are my family. Do you understand?" Her slender finger brushed along the side of Anna's cheek as she paused a moment, allowing her words to sink in. Anna's eyelids slowly opened and her eyes met with Elsa's oceanic blues. "It's just you and me." Her lip quivered as she spoke and her hand squeezed Elsa's tighter.

* * *

Her parents' last wishes were to be cremated together and have their ashes scattered off a bluff overlooking the ocean near the much beloved family beach. The view was always beautiful, especially at sunset when the sky was a variable palette of pinks and oranges. Anna was relieved that her parents had opted for something more intimate, as the thought of a formal funeral would have been too emotionally exhausting for her. It was already too much for her to pick up the urn from the mortuary, sending Elsa to collect it instead.

The urn sat on the mantle of the fireplace for a week until the weather was pleasant enough to drive out to the bluff. Elsa drove through the winding roads of the rolling hills near the beach as Anna placidly held onto the thick gold urn that sat in her lap. Her hands occasionally running over the smooth brass as she tried to grasp the heavy reality of what her life had become. A lifetime of memories, people she could never replace and would never see again, now just contents inside of an urn.

The car pulled into a small dirt parking lot near the bluff as Elsa unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to Anna. "Are you ready?" Resting a hand on Anna's shoulder, giving her all the time she needed to respond. Anna breathed a shaky sigh and nodded, tightening her grip around the urn as almost to hug it one last time. They made their way up the narrow path to the top off the bluff, arm and arm as Elsa tried to be the pillar of strength Anna needed her to be. When they reached the top they took a moment to take in the panoramic view. The sun was sparkling off the white capped waves of the ocean and the sky was the clearest blue, not a cloud to be seen. Elsa was thankful to notice there was a slight breeze, as she wanted to this to be as perfect and beautiful a farewell as it could be. Anna stood mere feet away from the edge of the bluff, overlooking the rocky shoreline below; still clutching the urn.

"I wrote something down that I wanted to share, if that's okay. I know you want to have the last words so I'll wait till you're ready." Elsa pulled a small piece of white paper from her pocket and carefully unfolded it.

"Now is good. I don't want to drag this out too long or I might not be able to do this." Gesturing to the urn in her hands.

"Andrew and Lillian, you were the family I never had as a child but always wanted. Thank you for the laughter and all the wonderful memories. Thank you for raising such a beautiful and kind woman, who's changed my life. I promise to take the best care of Anna and love her each day for the rest of my life, as you have done." She fought to hold her tears in, but she couldn't stop them from welling up and she quickly wiped them away, trying to stay strong for Anna so that they could get through their goodbyes.

"That was really beautiful." While Elsa teared up, her words had brought a soft smile to Anna's lips. It reminded her that she was in good hands, she wasn't alone. She also wondered how she ever would have made it through this without Elsa.

"I'm ready." Anna took a deep breath and closed her eyes and slowly exhaled, listening to sound of the gulls in the distance. Her words were short but simple and to the point. "Mom...Dad, I will miss so very much. But I know you will be with me, watching me. Watching us. I love you." With that Anna took a step forward, removed the top of the urn and watched the wind carry the ashes away into the crashing waves below.


End file.
